Prevalence of voice handicap among nurses in intensive care units due to occupational noise during pandemic

Song, Ziwei, Lee, Pyoung-Jik ORCID: 0000-0002-0328-9175 and Jung, Heejung (2023) Prevalence of voice handicap among nurses in intensive care units due to occupational noise during pandemic. FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH, 11. 1250512-.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1250512

Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>Healthcare workers have been identified as being at risk of occupational voice disorders. Among them, nurses working in intensive care units (ICUs) are particularly vulnerable due to the risk factors that are associated with their exposure to high levels of noise. Thus, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of voice disorders among ICU nurses.<h4>Methods</h4>A questionnaire was administered to 100 ICU nurses from four hospitals in China. The questionnaire assessed vocal-related symptoms, perceived voice handicap, frequently heard noise sources, and the quality of communications.<h4>Results</h4>Results indicate that the most frequently reported voice symptoms were 'voice tiredness' and 'voiceless'. Nurses working more than 50 h per week experienced voice symptoms more frequently than nurses working for 40-50 h per week. The median value of the perceived voice handicap score (VHI-30) was 23, indicating mild voice handicap, while 24% of the nurses reported severe voice handicap. Longer working hours and working at patient wards were significantly associated with higher VHI-30 scores. The nurses also reported that the quality of verbal communication with patients and colleagues and voice problems worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.<h4>Conclusion</h4>More than 20% of nurses reported severe voice handicap, however, voice handicap among ICU nurses did not appear universally to all nurses. Further research is necessary to identify the risk factors associated with voice disorders and the mechanism behind such heterogeneity among ICU nurses.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	voice handicap, nurses, intensive care unit, occupational health, communication, pandemic (COVID-19), voice handicap index
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of the Arts
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	05 Sep 2023 14:41
Last Modified:	04 Oct 2023 23:45
DOI:	10.3389/fpubh.2023.1250512
Open Access URL:	https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1250512
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3172562