A questionnaire was administered to 100 ICU nurses from four hospitals in China. The questionnaire assessed vocal-related symptoms, perceived voice handicap, frequently heard noise sources, and the quality of communications.
Results indicate that the most frequently reported voice symptoms were \'voice tiredness\' and \'voiceless\'. Nurses working more than 50 h per week experienced voice symptoms more frequently than nurses working for 40-50 h per week. The median value of the perceived voice handicap score (VHI-30) was 23, indicating mild voice handicap, while 24% of the nurses reported severe voice handicap. Longer working hours and working at patient wards were significantly associated with higher VHI-30 scores. The nurses also reported that the quality of verbal communication with patients and colleagues and voice problems worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 20% of nurses reported severe voice handicap, however, voice handicap among ICU nurses did not appear universally to all nurses. Further research is necessary to identify the risk factors associated with voice disorders and the mechanism behind such heterogeneity among ICU nurses.
■对来自中国四家医院的100名ICU护士进行了问卷调查。问卷评估了声带相关症状,感知到的语音障碍,经常听到的噪声源,以及通信质量。
■结果表明,最常报告的声音症状是\“声音疲倦\”和\“无声\”。每周工作超过50小时的护士比每周工作40-50小时的护士更频繁地出现声音症状。感觉到的嗓音障碍评分(VHI-30)的中值为23,表明轻度的嗓音障碍,而24%的护士报告严重的嗓音障碍。更长的工作时间和在患者病房工作与更高的VHI-30得分显着相关。护士还报告说,在COVID-19大流行期间,与患者和同事的口头交流质量和语音问题恶化。
■超过20%的护士报告严重的嗓音障碍,然而,ICU护士的嗓音障碍并没有出现在所有护士中。需要进一步的研究来确定与语音障碍相关的危险因素以及ICU护士之间这种异质性背后的机制。