Comparison of Voice Stimulability Testing in Telehealth and In-Person Formats.
Melanie A Turner, Laura E Toles
PMID 40318999WHAT IT FOUND
Telehealth and in-person voice evaluations showed no significant difference in overall stimulability ratings.
Age, not modality, was significant: younger patients rated higher stimulability than older patients. Semi-occluded tasks trended lower on telehealth but did not reach significance.
Key findings
01Overall voice stimulability ratings did not significantly differ between telehealth and in-person evaluations, even when age was controlled.
02Age was significantly associated with overall stimulability, with younger patients rated as more stimulable than older patients.
03Stimulability on specific task categories did not significantly differ by modality, though semi-occluded vocal tract tasks trended toward lower ratings on telehealth.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Because the study was a retrospective chart review, clinicians did not use a standardized stimulability protocol and selected tasks variably. Stimulability was rated subjectively by the treating clinician as low, medium, or high, not measured with an objective continuous scale. The study did not record or control for internet connection quality, which could affect remote hearing of voice tasks. Only one part of behavioral voice evaluation was examined, so the results do not address acoustic, aerodynamic, palpation, or laryngoscopic components. The lack of a standardized protocol interferes with generalizability, even though groups were matched on diagnosis category and clinician. Chart data did not allow analysis of specific ethnicity, and the age finding was secondary rather than a planned main outcome.
Declared interests
The authors disclosed no conflicts of interest. The supplied text does not identify a funding source.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that telehealth and in-person voice evaluations are interchangeable for all parts of assessment. The non-significant overall stimulability result came from subjective chart ratings without a standardized protocol, did not control internet quality, and included a near-significant trend for lower semi-occluded vocal tract ratings on telehealth.