Voice Assessment Recommendations from Websites of Professional Organizations for Otorhinolaryngologists and Speech-Language Pathologists

Professional organizations are essential in advancing field-related knowledge by providing recommendations for best practice, standard of care, and scope of practice. Their reach and audience can be regional, national, and international. The scope and resources to support professional practice standards of professional organizations in laryngology vary; thus, it is of interest to explore if the information provided is consistent. The present website review aimed to answer the research question, ‘What recommendations on voice assessment are available on websites of professional organizations for otorhinolaryngologists and speech-language pathologists?’ Websites of 197 professional organizations for otorhinolaryngologists and speech-language pathologists were reviewed. Information related to domains of voice assessment, such as case history, acoustic analysis, aerodynamic analysis, patient-reported outcome measures, auditory perceptual evaluation, and laryngeal visualization was extracted. A co-author scrutinized the accuracy of extracted information to establish an inter-rater reliability. Only 19 out of 197 websites (10 otorhinolaryngology, six speech-language pathology and three included both professions) met the inclusion criteria and were included. The websites of four professional organizations mentioned all the domains of voice assessment with brief to detailed information. The methodology for devising these guidelines included literature review, expert opinion, and consensus between experts. The findings of this review demonstrate that some professional organizations provide, advocate for, and support standard recommendations for clinical practice. However, there is an opportunity to make this information more widely accessible and develop clinical practice guidelines for voice assessment with consensus and a higher level of evidence.