Testing a Smart Phone App to Enhance Voice Therapy Adherence

Vrushali Angadi

Status: Completed

Conditions: Voice Disorders

Treatments: Behavioral: Traditional Voice therapy; Behavioral: Voice Therapy App

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04002336

44183

Details and patient eligibility

About

The current project is designed as phase 1 study conducted to improve/enhance normal voice. Fifteen Thirty non-treatment seeking individuals, with no identifiable vocal pathology on laryngeal examination, will be randomized to one of two groups; 1) Voice therapy delivery without App (control/standard of care), 2) Voice therapy delivery with app (experimental). Participants in both groups will attend weekly voice therapy sessions (for 6 weeks) with the PI and Co- I (Joseph Stemple). Control group participants will be provided with an audio file of the exercises, and an exercise log sheet to track progress. Experimental group participants will use the smartphone app, which allows participants to record home practice sessions in real time and upload sessions to the app server for the clinician to access and track. Three-wave surveys will be conducted at the baseline, four weeks and 6 weeks after the intervention. Other data sources include study administration, exercise logs, app data, and clinical assessment.

Enrollment: 33 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Adults > 18 years
2. Non-smokers
3. Hearing level within normal limits
4. Absence of vocal fold pathology as confirmed by MD on laryngeal examination
5. Agree to avoid vocally abusive behaviors for the entirety of the study

Exclusion criteria

1. Apple phone (iOS)
2. Impaired hearing
3. Uncontrolled asthma
4. Smoking
5. H/o vocal fold surgery
6. Presence of vocal fold pathology
7. Previous history of experience with VFE performance
8. Non-English speaking participants

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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33 participants in 2 patient groups

Traditional Voice Therapy

Active Comparator group

Description:

Standard of care (traditional) voice therapy.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Traditional Voice therapy

App Group

Experimental group

Description:

Voice therapy using a smartphone app.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Voice Therapy App