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Prevalence of Voice Disorders in Healthcare Workers in the Universal Masking COVID ‐19 Era
Author(s) -
Heider Claudia A.,
Álvarez Matías L.,
FuentesLópez Eduardo,
González Claudia A.,
León Norma I.,
Verástegui Daniela C.,
Badía Pedro I.,
Napolitano Carla A.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1002/lary.29172
Subject(s) - medicine , health care , masking (illustration) , covid-19 , confidence interval , pandemic , personal protective equipment , cross sectional study , family medicine , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , pathology , economics , art , visual arts , economic growth
Objectives/Hypothesis To determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of voice disorders in healthcare workers of high‐risk hospital care units during the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) pandemic. Study Design Cross‐sectional study. Methods Questionnaire survey to healthcare personnel of COVID‐19 high‐risk hospital units was conducted, regarding demographic data, clinical activity, the pattern of usage of personal protective equipment, medical and vocal history, vocal symptoms, and Spanish validated Voice Handicap Index (VHI)‐10 questionnaire. Results A total of 221 healthcare workers answered the survey. Nearly 33% of them reported having trouble with their voice during the last month, and 26.24% had an abnormal score in the Spanish validated VHI‐10 questionnaire. The mean VHI‐10 score was 7.92 (95% confidence interval 6.98–8.85). The number of working hours, the number of hours of mask daily use, simultaneous surgical and self‐filtering mask use, and working in intermediate or intensive care units were independent variables significantly associated with a higher VHI‐10 score. Conclusions Healthcare workers of high‐risk hospital care units during the universal masking COVID‐19 pandemic are at risk of voice disorders. Level of Evidence 3 Laryngoscope , 131:E1227–E1233, 2021