Instrument adaptation and preliminary validation study of the Laryngeal Hypersensitivity Questionnaire used for assessment of laryngeal symptoms in patients with artificial airways.
Martin B Brodsky, Lisa Aronson Friedman, Elizabeth Colantuoni and 4 others
PMID 38135588WHAT IT FOUND
A shortened questionnaire for laryngeal symptoms matches the original's accuracy in outpatient and healthy groups.
It uses a four-point scale to allow non-verbal responses, making it suitable for patients with breathing tubes who cannot speak or write.
Key findings
01The adapted questionnaire maintained high internal consistency and similar item correlations to the original instrument.
02The adapted tool showed strong concurrent validity with established measures for cough quality of life and symptom frequency.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used data from patients referred for outpatient behavioral management, not actual ICU patients with artificial airways, so the tool has not yet been tested in its intended target population. The sample was from a single site, limiting generalizability. The tool could not effectively distinguish between the different types of laryngeal dysfunction (e.g., chronic cough vs. muscle tension dysphonia) within the patient group. It is unknown if patients with artificial airways can reliably communicate responses even with the simplified scale without additional training or alternative communication support.
Declared interests
One author reports royalties from MedBridge Inc. for online continuing education and consulting fees from Phagenesis, Inc. No other authors reported conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this tool is validated for use in ICU patients with artificial airways. The study only tested the adapted questionnaire on outpatient and healthy groups; it has not yet been evaluated in the acute care population it was designed for.