ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to adapt and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the VHI-10. METHODS: We enrolled 183 subjects-118 patients with voice disorders and 65 without voice disorders. RESULTS: All items were correlated with each other and were strongly correlated with the total score (rho ≥ 0.70), the only exception being item five (rho = 0.56). Internal consistency was very high, with Cronbach's alpha = 0.92. There was a statistically significant difference between patients with voice disorders and healthy controls in terms of VHI-10 global score (U = 251.0; P < 0.001). There was a statistically significant negative correlation between mean phonation time (MPT) and VHI-10 (rho = -0.30; P < 0.01). Only the amplitude perturbation quotient (APQ) was correlated positively with the global score (rho = 0.22; P = 0.020). There were statistically significant and positive correlations between VHI-10 scores and GRBAS evaluation. Correlations between global scores of VHI-30 and VHI-10, and between VHI-30 subscales and the corresponding items from VHI-10, were very strong (respectively 0.97 and 0.89-0.94). In the patient group, there was high test-retest reproducibility (intraclass correlation = 0.91). A cut-off value of 8.5 points was estimated. CONCLUSION: The Polish version of VHI-10 showed excellent internal consistency, good test-retest reproducibility, and had clinical validity. It is a useful brief tool for self-reported evaluation and reliable assessment of patients with voice disorders.
ABSTRACT
Traditional voice evaluations, including imaging techniques, auditory-perceptual ratings, and acoustic and aerodynamic analyses, fail to assess the global handicap that a patient experiences as a result of a voice disorder. The Voice Handicap Index (VHI) is currently one of the most widely used and psychometrically robust instruments for measuring voice disability. The aim of the study is to translate and validate a Polish version of the VHI. The original English-language version of VHI-30 was translated into Polish. We enrolled 188 subjects-123 patients (91 women and 32 men) with voice disorders and 65 controls (53 women and 12 men) without voice disorders. Results obtained by the patients were significantly higher than those obtained by the controls on the Emotional subscale (U = 519.0; p < 0.001), Functional (U = 829.0; p < 0.001), Physical (U = 331.0; p < 0.001), and the global score (U = 390.0; p < 0.001). There were statistically significant negative correlations between maximum phonation time and global score (rho = -0.31; p < 0.01) as well as all three subscales. Shimmer and Smoothed Amplitude Perturbation Quotient were correlated positively with the global score (rho = 0.22; p < 0.05; rho = 0.25; p < 0.01, respectively) and with all three subscales. There were also statistically significant correlations between VHI scores and auditory perceptual evaluation. In the patient group, there was excellent internal consistency (α = 0.97) and strong test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation = 0.94). The cut-off value equal to 17 points was estimated. The Polish VHI showed excellent internal consistency, good test-retest reproducibility, and clinical validity. It is a useful tool for evaluating the voice disability perceived by a patient.
