%0 Journal Article
%T Throat related symptoms and voice: development of an instrument for self assessment of throat-problems
%A Viveka Lyberg-£¿hlander
%A Roland Rydell
%A Jacqueline Eriksson
%A Lucyna Schal¨¦n
%J BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders
%D 2010
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1472-6815-10-5
%X A subscale with 10 throat related items was developed for appliance with the VHI. The VHI was translated to Swedish and retranslated to English. The questionnaire was tried in two phases on a total of 23+144 patients and 12+58 voice healthy controls. The reliability was calculated with Cronbach's alpha, ICC and Pearson's correlation coefficient. The validity was estimated by independent T-test.The difference in VHI-T scores between the patients and the voice-healthy controls was significant (p = < 0,01) and there was a good correlation of the test- retest occasions. The reliability testing of the entire questionnaire showed an alpha value of r = 0,90 and that for the Throat subscale separately a value of r = 0,87 which shows a high degree of reliability.For the estimation of self-perceived throat and voice problems the scale on throat related problems together with the present Swedish translation of the Voice Handicap Index, (VHI) the VHI-Throat, proves to be a valid and reliable instrument. The throat subscale seems to help revealing a category of symptoms that are common in our patients. These are symptoms that have not earlier been possible to cover with the questionnaires designed for use in the voice clinic.Patient-reported symptoms together with laryngostroboscopy and perceptual analysis of the voice are essential for the evaluation of voice in logopedic and phoniatric practice [1,2]. A number of instruments for the self-rating of voice problems have been developed for use in the voice clinic. The Voice Handicap Index (VHI) [3] along with the shortened VHI: VHI-10 [4]; the Voice Activity and Participation Profile (VAPP)[5]; the Voice-Related Quality of Life (VrQoL)[6]; the Voice Outcome Survey (VOS) [7] and the Voice symptom scale (VoiSS) [8] are all designed for measuring perceived handicap and quality of life, and perceived limitations of participation and activity.Symptoms related to the throat, such as frequent throat clearing, irritated throat, sensation
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6815/10/5