Diagnostic Validity of Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) Compared With Perceptive-Auditory and Acoustic Speech Pathology Evaluations of the Voice

Background The voice handicap index (VHI) questionnaire and its reduced version (VHI-10) have the aim of measuring voice problems from the subjectʹs self-perception. No studies on the predictive value of VHI-10 have been conducted. Objective To determine diagnostic validity indicators for VHI-10. Method Four hundred seventy-six elementary and high school teachers working in municipal public schools in Salvador, Bahia, were evaluated. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, proportion of correct classification, Youden index, and positive and negative likelihood ratios were calculated. Results VHI-10 presented low rates for sensitivity (29%), proportion of correct classification (44%), positive predictive value (42%), and negative predictive value (33%). The validity indicators for VHI-10 were better in comparisons with perceptive-auditory analysis than with acoustic analysis. Conclusion Because of the low validity of VHI-10, its use in population-based studies is not recommended. Thisآ suggests that it has limitations as a diagnostic support instrument for clinical evaluations.