The Effects of Telerehabilitation in Patients With Voice Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Journal of Voice
Gong, X., Han, Y., et al. (2024).
Journal of Voice, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2024.06.008.
<div>This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the effects of telerehabilitation on outcomes for adults with voice disorders, as compared to face-to-face intervention.</div>
National Social Science Fund of China
Not stated
<div>Randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs</div>
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<div>Comparable improvements were seen following voice therapy when delivered face-to-face or via telepractice. Direct and combined methods of indirect and direct treatments led to improvements in outcomes such as maximum phonation time, shimmer, noise-to-harmonics ratio, Voice Handicap Index score change, or Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia and Strain scores. Jitter improved more in the telepractice group (MD = -0.12).</div>
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<div>This review was limited by the potential for publication bias due to accepting only articles written in English or Chinese, small sample sizes of the included studies, and heterogeneity among voice disorder types investigated by the included studies.</div>
<div>Two studies of participant satisfaction found that while telerehabilitation showed higher patient satisfaction than conventional voice therapy, this difference was not significant. This review was limited by the potential for publication bias due to accepting only articles written in English or Chinese, small sample sizes of the included studies, and heterogeneity among voice disorder types investigated by the included studies.</div>
