An iOS-based VoiceScreen application: feasibility for use in clinical settings—a pilot study

OBJECTIVES: To elaborate the application suitable for smartphones for estimation of Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI) and evaluate its usability in the clinical setting. METHODS: An elaborated AVQI automatization and background noise monitoring functions were implemented into a mobile “VoiceScreen” application running the iOS operating system. A study group consisted of 103 adult individuals with normal voices (n = 30) and 73 patients with pathological voices. Voice recordings were performed in the clinical setting with “VoiceScreen” app using iPhone 8 microphones. Voices of 30 patients were recorded before and 1 month after phonosurgical intervention. To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy differentiating normal and pathological voice, the receiver-operating characteristic statistics, i.e., area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity, and correct classification rate (CCR) were used. RESULTS: A high level of precision of AVQI in discriminating between normal and dysphonic voices was yielded with corresponding AUC = 0.937. The AVQI cutoff score of 3.4 demonstrated a sensitivity of 86.3% and specificity of 95.6% with a CCR of 89.2%. The preoperative mean value of the AVQI [6.01(SD 2.39)] in the post-phonosurgical follow-up group decreased to 2.00 (SD 1.08). No statistically significant differences (p = 0.216) between AVQI measurements in a normal voice and 1-month follow-up after phonosurgery groups were revealed. CONCLUSIONS: The “VoiceScreen” app represents an accurate and robust tool for voice quality measurement and demonstrates the potential to be used in clinical settings as a sensitive measure of voice changes across phonosurgical treatment outcomes. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00405-022-07546-w.