Collaboration in Voice Therapy: Development of a Vocal Health Daily Tracking Form

BACKGROUND: Voice disorders are a major cause of difficulties in many areas of social life, as they can disrupt communication. Voice therapy, including vocal hygiene education, has an important role in the treatment of voice disorders, especially if applied in an individualised manner. AIM: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a reliable and practical self-report tool, the Vocal Health Daily Tracking Form, for use in monitoring patients' daily compliance with vocal hygiene practices and home-based voice therapy exercises. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A total of 266 volunteering participants, including 212 women and 54 men aged 18 and over who were university students from departments of speech and language therapy and audiology, participated in the research. The 12-item Vocal Health Daily Tracking Form, developed based on traditional voice therapy principles, was completed at least once by all 266 participants and twice by 60 of the participants. The validity and reliability of the form were evaluated in line with the statistical analysis of the obtained data. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Statistical analyses confirmed that the Vocal Health Daily Tracking Form is a reliable and valid tool. While the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test value of the form was found to be very good at 0.799, the Bartlett test result was 961.473 (p < 0.05), confirming a strong correlation between the items of the form. The Cronbach alpha value of the study was found to be sufficient at 0.809. The total correlation values were between 0.326 and 0.651, and the amount of explained variance was sufficient at 33.28%. These findings confirmed that the scale is well constructed both conceptually and structurally and is a valid and reliable measurement tool. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: In addition to vocal hygiene recommendations, the individualisation of the therapy process and the use of methods based on behavioural techniques may contribute positively to the voice rehabilitation processes of individuals with voice disorders. The Vocal Health Daily Tracking Form has high validity and reliability values, confirming that it can be considered an important tool for monitoring and improving voice therapy processes. It may also help patients experience more regular and effective therapy processes by increasing their self-regulation and motivation during voice therapy. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject Voice disorders are major health issues that negatively affect individuals' communication abilities and quality of life (Cohen et al., 2006). These disorders may arise due to organic, neurological, or functional causes and may lead to abnormal changes in voice quality, pitch height, or intensity (Behrman, 2007). Voice therapy and various treatment methods, including vocal hygiene education and training, play an important role in the rehabilitation processes of individuals with voice disorders (Garabet et al., 2024). Homework assigned during the therapy process, including vocal exercises and hygiene practices, is of critical importance in increasing the effectiveness of the treatment (Desjardins et al., 2017). What this paper adds to the existing knowledge This study aimed to develop and validate a reliable and practical self-report tool, the Vocal Health Daily Tracking Form, to monitor patients' daily compliance with vocal hygiene practices and home-based voice therapy exercises during voice rehabilitation. With that aim, the Vocal Health Daily Tracking Form was developed to allow patients to record their daily engagement with voice hygiene practices and vocal exercises. The validity and reliability of this new form were also evaluated. This study has presented the validity and reliability analysis of a voice monitoring form developed to increase patients' compliance with voice therapy. Steady compliance with vocal hygiene and prescribed exercises conducted at home significantly affects treatment results, and the voice monitoring form proposed in this study was shown to have high validity (KMO = 0.799, p < 0.001) and reliability, indicating that it can be considered an important tool for monitoring daily practices that affect the outcomes of therapy processes. What are the potential or actual clinical implications for this work? This study is expected to serve as guidance for future research and clinical practices addressing patient compliance and behavioural management throughout the course of voice therapy.