PREDICTIVE ASSESSMENT OF VOCAL EFFICIENCY (PAVE) - A METHOD FOR VOICETHERAPY OUTCOME MEASUREMENT

A prospective study was carried out to examine the degree to which a s tandard voice assessment could discriminate between the potential bene fits of two different voice therapy programmes for individual patients . The study encompassed 200 dysphonia subjects who were referred for v oice therapy and had completed treatment within a prescribed two-year period. A standard assessment procedure was carried out on first atten dance for each patient and guidelines were used to assign patients to different treatment programmes on the basis of the assessment results. The assessment discriminated well between patients requiring voice th erapy to change physiological parameters of voice usage and patients a ble to self adjust voice usage, and provided an objective means of mea suring outcomes.