What is it about?
This study investigated whether voice therapy delivered online (telepractice) is as effective as traditional in-person therapy for adults with behavioral dysphonia, a condition caused by inefficient or excessive voice use. Participants completed a Water Resistance Therapy Program using a silicone tube submerged in water to improve vocal function. The results showed that online therapy produced similar improvements in vocal efficiency, vocal quality, and treatment adherence compared with in-person therapy. However, participants who received face-to-face therapy reported greater improvements in how they perceived the impact of their voice problem on daily life. These findings suggest that telepractice can be an effective and accessible alternative for voice rehabilitation when in-person care is not possible.
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Why is it important?
Voice disorders can negatively affect communication, work performance, social interactions, and quality of life. Many people, however, cannot easily access specialized voice therapy because of distance, transportation difficulties, limited mobility, or lack of local services. This study demonstrates that telepractice can provide voice therapy results comparable to traditional in-person care, offering a more accessible option for patients who need treatment. By showing that an evidence-based therapeutic program can be successfully delivered remotely under real-life conditions, this research supports the expansion of accessible and affordable voice rehabilitation services, helping clinicians and patients benefit from new models of healthcare delivery.
Perspectives
This publication is particularly meaningful to me because it reflects the growing need to make specialized voice therapy more accessible in everyday clinical practice. During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, telepractice became increasingly common, but there is still limited evidence about how effective it truly is when patients receive therapy from home using their own internet connections and devices. One aspect I value in this study is that we investigated telepractice under real-world conditions rather than in highly controlled environments. At the same time, we carefully explored practical challenges such as audio quality, internet stability, patient comfort, and adherence to treatment. I believe these findings can help clinicians feel more confident about offering remote voice therapy while also highlighting the importance of proper infrastructure and patient guidance for successful outcomes.
Angelica Emygdio Antonetti-Carvalho
Universidade de Sao Paulo Campus de Bauru
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Efficacy of the Water Resistance Therapy Program Delivered via Telepractice and In-Person: A Noninferiority, Randomized, and Blinded Clinical Trial, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, May 2026, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA),
DOI: 10.1044/2026_ajslp-25-00372.
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