Clinical Experiences of Voice Therapists in the Rehabilitation of Pediatric Vocal Fold Nodules

Abstract

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to identify common clinical practices and experiences of voice therapists regarding the treatment of pediatric vocal fold nodules (VFNs) in Flanders, Belgium. Study designObservational survey study. MethodsA 38-item online survey was completed by 35 voice therapists (32 females, 3 males) with experience in treating pediatric VFNs. Demographic characteristics, occupational characteristics, educational characteristics, therapy content, therapy delivery model, and experience of the voice therapist were explored. Experiences of voice therapists were measured using visual analogue scales (score 0 – 100). An extensive descriptive analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 28. ResultsThe majority of voice therapists (93.9%) provide a combination of direct and indirect therapy techniques when treating children with VFNs. The most commonly used direct techniques are breathing exercises (84.4%), semi-occluded vocal tract exercises (71.9%) with a clear preference for resonance tube in water and resonant voice therapy, and relaxation exercises (65.6%). On average, Flemish voice therapists provide 24.80 (SD: 11.5, range: 10 – 50) half-hour sessions, usually at a frequency of once a week. No respondents had experience with intensive therapy or group therapy in the treatment of pediatric VFNs. Regarding the experience of voice therapists with treating VFNs in children, respondents give a mean score of 77.28 (SD: 13.7, range: 50 – 100) on a scale of 0 (negative experience) to 100 (positive experience). Furthermore, 96.2% of voice therapists experience difficulties during treatment and 40% feel there are not enough targeted training opportunities on the topic of pediatric VFNs. ConclusionFlemish voice therapists generally feel comfortable treating pediatric VFNs. They usually provide a combination of direct and indirect therapy and use a wide range of different direct therapy techniques. However, there is still some need to organize more focused and tailor-made training initiatives.