Comparison of teachers’ voice disorders before and during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated change in teaching mode from stationary to distance learning on the severity of voice-related complaints among teachers. Materials and methods: A questionnaire survey of teachers was conducted to assess voice disorders during stationary and remote work using the Vocal Tract Dyscomfort (VTDs) scale and Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and respondents' subjective feelings were assessed. The demographic and environmental factors related to voice work were examined. Data on sickness absenteeism obtained from the Healthcare Needs Maps 2020 of the Ministry of Health were also analyzed. The statistical analysis of responses was conducted. A p-value below 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 128 teachers participated in the survey. The overall assessment of voice disorders using VTDs and NRS scales did not show statistically significant differences for complaints between stationary and remote work. Detailed analysis revealed more severe voice disorders in teachers working more than 6 months remotely (p = 0.049) and having more than 20 lessons per week (p = 0.012). The subjective assessment confirmed a significantly lower percentage of teachers reporting voice disorders during remote work compared to stationary work (p = 0.043). This resulted in a reduction of sickness absences and a 40% decrease in sick leave related to voice disorders in 2020 compared to 2019. Conclusions: During the remote learning period in the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers reported lower severity of voice disorders and this contributed to a reduction in sickness absences. There were no statistically significant differences in voice-related complaints assessed by the VTDs and NRS scales for either mode of teaching. Several factors affecting the severity of vocal tract disorders were identified - the number of teaching hours per week (> 20) for stationary work and a long period of remote teaching (> 6 months).