Working Together to Find a Voice: Recommendations for Voice Healthcare Based on Expert-By-Experience and Practitioner Consensus

Lydia Flock; Stephen R King; Jenevora Williams; Emma Finlay; Hannah Smikle; Monica Benito; Francesca Benton-Stace; Jenna Brown; Abigail J Mann-Daraz; Lydia Hart; Keesha Mclean; Zofia Prucnal; Louisa Barry; Rachel Lynes; Mel Toy; Kate Valentine; Sam Slattery; Luke Aldridge-Waddon

doi:10.1016/j.jvoice.2023.02.023

Working Together to Find a Voice: Recommendations for Voice Healthcare Based on Expert-By-Experience and Practitioner Consensus

J Voice. 2023 Mar 21:S0892-1997(23)00083-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2023.02.023. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Lydia Flock¹, Stephen R King², Jenevora Williams², Emma Finlay³, Hannah Smikle⁴, Monica Benito³, Francesca Benton-Stace³, Jenna Brown⁵, Abigail J Mann-Daraz⁵, Lydia Hart⁶, Keesha Mclean⁷, Zofia Prucnal⁸, Louisa Barry⁹, Rachel Lynes¹⁰, Mel Toy¹¹, Kate Valentine¹², Sam Slattery¹³, Luke Aldridge-Waddon¹⁴

Affiliations

¹ Vocal Manual Therapy, Oxford Vocal Massage, Oxford, UK; Voice Care Centre, Voice Care Centre, London, UK.
² Voice Care Centre, Voice Care Centre, London, UK; Vocal Health Education, Vocal Health Education, London, UK.
³ Independent Researcher, VHE Meeting, London, UK.
⁴ Vocal Coaching, Hannah Smikle-Vocal Performance Coaching, Stockport, UK.
⁵ Voice Study Centre, Voice Study Centre, Suffolk, UK.
⁶ Voice Care Centre, Voice Care Centre, London, UK; Speech and Language Therapy, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Berkshire, UK.
⁷ Cairns Voice Studio and Cairns Voice Care, Cairns Voice Studio and Cairns Voice Care, Cairns, Australia.
⁸ Vocal Coaching, Warsaw Vocal Studio, Warsaw, Poland.
⁹ Voice Coaching, Louisa Barry-Voice, London, UK.
¹⁰ The Sing Space, The Sing Space, London, UK.
¹¹ Mel Toy Music, Mel Toy Music, London, UK.
¹² Voice Care Centre, Voice Care Centre, London, UK; Valentine Voice Care, Valentine Voice Care, Seaford/Glasgow/London, UK.
¹³ Grace Bay Medical, Grace Bay Medical, Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos Islands.
¹⁴ Oxford Institute of Clinical Psychology Training and Research, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Warneford Lane, Oxford, UK. Electronic address: luke.aldridge-waddon@hmc.ox.ac.uk.

PMID: 36959052
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2023.02.023

Abstract

Objectives: Voice care services aim to provide effective and meaningful voice care. Current practice guidance recommends a multidisciplinary voice care approach, supported by the evidence-base and practitioner experience. However, unlike other areas of physical and mental health, current voice care guidance does not explicitly include the voices of experts-by-experience, meaning those who have lived experience of voice difficulties. The perspectives of those working within nonclinical voice professions, such as vocal coaches, are also often omitted. There is therefore a need for updated practice guidance which prioritizes expert-by-experience and nonclinical perspectives.

Methods: Vocal Health Education hosted a consensus meeting in London, UK. The meeting was coproduced with experts-by-experience, and attendees included those with lived experience of voice difficulties and practitioners across a range of disciplines within voice care. The content of the meeting was synthesized into themes and associated recommendations were drafted and agreed to by all attendees.

Results: The consensus statement offers practical advice to those working in voice care. Recommendations are offered for multidisciplinary and biopsychosocial voice care, with a focus on person-centered practice and the valuing of lived experience. Through discussion, consensus was reached regarding recommendations for voice care assessment and treatment, practitioner approach, psychosocial considerations, and service design. The need for greater expert-by-experience involvement, coproduction, and co-construction was emphasized throughout.

Conclusions: This report emphasizes the voices of those with lived experience. It highlights ways of updating or improving current care, with the aim of informing clinical practice as well as research and service development. The consensus statement is the first in voice care to include experts-by-experience at the center of its recommendations, underlining the need for more coproduced and co-constructed research and practice within voice healthcare.

Keywords: Best practice; Biopsychosocial; Consensus; Lived experience; Vocal health.