A fast and easy screening method for voice disorders among teacher students.

A recent study concerning voice disorders among future teachers showed that about 20% of the students had a voice disorder. Most of the disorders were organic. In the current study, we describe a voice-screening method that can be administered by the health care personnel in order to select students for further examination by the speech language therapist and/or phoniatrician. The screening method consists of a perceptual assessment of voice quality and a questionnaire concerning vocal symptoms. As criterion for further medical investigation and voice therapy, we selected a score of 35 mm or above on a visual analogue scale assessing Grade, i.e. overall grade of hoarseness and/or two or more weekly or more often occurring vocal symptoms. The results showed that health care personnel with some training in assessing voices using the questionnaire are competent to perform a rough voice screening on students.