Using the Borg CR10 Physical Exertion Scale to Measure Patient-perceived Vocal Effort Pre and Post Treatment.
Eva van Leer, Miriam van Mersbergen
PMID 27887811WHAT IT FOUND
In 36 adults with phonotraumatic voice disorders, an anchored Borg CR10 captured lower perceived vocal effort after four resonant voice therapy sessions, and it matched VHI item 14 weakly before therapy and moderately after therapy.
Key findings
01The anchored Borg CR10 showed a significant reduction in perceived vocal effort from session 1 to session 4, with mean scores of 4.69 and 1.99.
02VHI item 14 also showed a significant reduction from session 1 to session 4, with mean scores of 2.28 and 1.11.
03The Borg CR10 and VHI item 14 had a weak but significant association before therapy and a moderate significant association after therapy.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study used only self-reported effort and no physiological measures of effort. All participants had phonotraumatic adducted hyperfunction and had already shown significant improvement in therapy, so the results may not apply to other voice disorders or to patients who do not improve. The upper anchor relied on memory of laryngitis, which may vary between patients and make individual comparisons harder. Participants rated typical voice use over the past week, which can introduce memory bias. There was no control group or random assignment, and the sample was small and from one clinic.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the significant Borg CR10 reduction as proof that the scale is valid for every voice disorder. The sample was limited to adults with phonotraumatic hyperfunction who had already improved in therapy.