Occupational Voice Use Profile (OVUP) – an ICF-based patient outcome measure for work-related voice problems

Individuals whose professional roles rely entirely on their voice are known as “occupational or professional voice users”. The prevalence of voice disorders in this group is significantly higher than in the general population, and the consequences are particularly severe. Patient-reported outcome measures in the form of self-assessment questionnaires have long been established in the assessment of voice disorders and provide valuable insights into the subjective impact of dysphonia. Yet, none of the existing instruments adequately capture the multicausal and complex impact of work-related voice disorders and their occupational risk factors. Therefore, the ICF-based “Occupational Voice Use Profile” (OVUP) was developed. This paper summarises the development and validation of the German version of the questionnaire, and presents a study establishing normative cut-off values for score interpretation. These cut-off values are based on a sample of 772 teachers, kindergarten teachers, pastors and call centre agents. Results show that the OVUP is able to differentiate between healthy voices and pathological voices in all subscales. In addition, voice use and risk factor profiles of occupational voice users with and without voice disorders are compared based on the results of the norming sample, and the English translation of the OVUP is introduced.