Self-perceived speech communication difficulties with the use of respiratory protective masks among students of speech-language pathology

AbstractPurpose:Respiratory protective mask usage has been recommended worldwide to hamper the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and since then, communication challenges created by use of the mask has become a topic of concern, especially among medical professionals. Hence, this study aims to determine self-perceived speech communication concerns and to identify any vocal symptoms in master’s students of speech-language pathology (SLP), when wearing nose-and-mouth covering respiratory protective masks during therapy.Materials and Methods:The current study used a survey-based research design, where a questionnaire was developed, validated, and was distributed through online platforms. Participants were recruited through the snowball sampling technique. From a total of 123 master’s students of SLP that participated, 110 participants (64 first year and 46 second year students) were included. The questions were divided into three domains of day-to-day communication, work-related, and vocal symptoms. The participants were asked to rate their self-perceived speech communication issues owing to use of mask, on a 5-point Semantic Likert Scale. The test-retest reliability of the questionnaire was determined among 10% of the participants in the study.Results:The work-related domain was affected more than the other two domains. Those who wore a cloth mask and N95 masks had a greater effect on speech than those using other masks.Conclusion:The use of respiratory protective masks reduced clarity and increased vocal strain among the speakers and also caused more difficulty in understanding speech in listeners.