First report on the reliability and validity of speech handicap index in native English-speaking patients with head and neck cancer

Background Posttreatment speech problems are seen in nearly half of patients with head and neck cancer. Although there are many voice‐specific scales, surprisingly there is no speech‐specific questionnaire for English‐speaking patients with head and neck cancer. The aim of this study was to validate the Speech Handicap Index (SHI) as the first speech‐specific questionnaire in the English language. Method In all, 55 consecutive patients in follow‐up for oral and oropharyngeal cancer completed the SHI and University of Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire (UWQOL V.04). Thirty‐two patients completed both questionnaires again 4 weeks later to address test–retest reliability. Results Internal consistency, test–retest reliability, construct validity, and group validity of the SHI were found to be highly significant (p < .01) using Cronbach's alpha, Spearman's correlation coefficient (r), and Mann–Whitney U tests. Conclusions The SHI is a precise, highly reliable, and valid speech assessment tool for patients with head and neck cancer. Further dedicated studies using the SHI in patients with head and neck cancer would be useful. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2010