Analysis of variables that can interfere with clinical outcomes of patients presented with vocal or swallowing complaints

Abstract

Purpose: to analyze sociodemographic variables that may interfere with the clinical outcome of patients with voice or swallowing complaints. Methods: a descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional, observational study in which the medical records of patients above 18 years old treated at the Voice Clinic of the Speech-Language-Hearing Service of the Rio de Janeiro University Hospital between 2010 and 2018, were analyzed, including 81 medical records - 47 from females and 34 from males. Patients were divided according to three types of outcomes, namely: discharge, dismissal, and abandonment. The sociodemographic variables were sex, marital status, education level, income, whether they were occupational voice users, and the main complaint. The relative and absolute frequencies were calculated to analyze the results, and the Pearson´s chi-square test was used for inferential analysis (significance level of 5%). Results: sociodemographic variables were not significantly associated with the outcomes when the type of complaint (voice or swallowing) was not considered, separately. The study found a significantly higher frequency of patients with voice complaints who were discharged from speech-language-hearing therapy (p = 0.020). The higher frequency of such patients who abandoned therapy was significantly associated with an income of up to one minimum wage (p = 0.041). People with swallowing complaints were not significantly associated with sociodemographic variables. Conclusion: the most frequent outcome was treatment abandonment. In this study, low family income was associated with treatment abandonment by patients with voice complaints. Patients with swallowing complaints had a lower frequency of treatment abandonment and discharge than patients with voice complaints.