Investigating current clinical practice in assessment and diagnosis of voice disorders: A cross-sectional multidisciplinary global web survey.
Christopher L PaytenKelly A WeirCatherine J MadillPublished in: International journal of language & communication disorders (2024)
What is already known on the subject Best-practice guidelines recommend a multidisciplinary and multidimensional assessment of adults with vocal symptoms. Prior uni-disciplinary survey studies have reported a divergence in clinical practice with the recommended guidelines. No previous studies have examined otolaryngologists and SLPs concurrently to investigate the multidisciplinary approach clinicians' use in a diagnostic voice assessment. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge This study highlights new insights into multidisciplinary voice evaluation practice patterns with an emphasis on diagnostic assessment from a global perspective. The findings build on prior research exploring clinical assessment pathways, service utilization and clinicians' preferences when selecting clinical tools to inform a differential diagnosis. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? This paper provides insights to inform future service and resource planning to ensure the delivery of evidenced-based diagnostic assessment pathways. This study also makes recommendations for areas of future research to understand barriers to clinicians following recommended best-practice guidelines.