Effectiveness of Teletherapy in Managing Voice Disorders: A Systematic Review
Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery
Varma, M., Nayak, S., et al. (2025).
Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery , 77(8), 3320-3336.
<div>This systematic review investigates the effects of telepractice on voice outcomes in adolescents and adults, 16 years and older, with functional or organic voice disorders.</div>
No funding received
2000 to June 2024
<div>Published, randomized and non-randomized, English-language studies (Not further specified)</div>
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<div>Voice therapy conducted via telepractice showed significant positive effects across outcome measures for various voice disorders. Studies reported the following beneficial outcomes:</div>
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<li><strong>auditory-perceptual parameters</strong>: improved grade, roughness, and breathiness;</li>
<li><strong>patient report:</strong> improved patient satisfaction and self-reported performance;</li>
<li><strong>laryngeal imaging:</strong> better glottal closure, smoother mucosal waves, and reduced nodule size; and</li>
<li><strong>aerodynamic measures: </strong>increased Maximum Phonation time and improved phonatory airflow and vocal efficiently.</li>
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<div>Overall, studies showed that telepractice is a feasible and viable alternative to in-person therapy. </div>
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<div>Limitations of this review include the broad range of included diagnoses, the variability of interventions used across studies, the lack of reporting on the influence of technological barriers, and the lack of long-term outcomes. Additional research is needed to compare telepractice to in-person therapy outcomes, to evaluate the potential constraints of telepractice, to investigate the adaptation of specific voice therapy techniques to a telepractice format, and to explore future technology advancements for remote voice therapy.</div>
