title: Ambulatory phonation monitoring in a sample of 92 call center operators.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The voice is a primary work tool for call center operators, but the main risk factors for voice disorders in this category have not yet been clarified. This study aimed to analyze the vocal behavior in call center operators and search for correlations between the daily voice dose and the self-perceived voice-related handicap.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-two call center operators (aged 24-50 years) underwent ambulatory phonation monitoring during a working day and were administered the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) questionnaire and a questionnaire concerning smoking habits, symptoms, and extrawork activities requiring intensive voice use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean percentage phonation time (PT) during work was 14.74% and ranged from 4% to 31%. There was a significant difference between the percentage PT in working time and in extrawork time; however, subjects with high percentage PT in working time maintained a high value also in extrawork time. The mean PT was 87.5 ± 35.8 minutes and was not correlated with age, gender, number of work hours, symptoms, extraprofessional voice use, and VHI scores. The mean amplitude was significantly higher in subjects with longer PT and higher pitch (P < 0.001). VHI score (median = 9) was slightly higher than in the general population but not related to the number of work hours, indicating that work time was not a critical factor in causing the perception of voice problems.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study provides data about the voice behavior of a large cohort of call center operators and demonstrates that the number of work hours and the percentage PT are not statistically related to the perception of voice disturbances in this working category.
authors: Otolaryngology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: g.cantarella@libero.it.
authors: Giovanna
authors: G
authors: Cantarella
authors: Otolaryngology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors: Elisabetta
authors: E
authors: Iofrida
authors: Occupational Medicine, Private Practice, Milan, Italy.
authors: Paola
authors: P
authors: Boria
authors: Occupational Medicine, Private Practice, Milan, Italy.
authors: Simone
authors: S
authors: Giordano
authors: Occupational Medicine, Private Practice, Milan, Italy.
authors: Oriana
authors: O
authors: Binatti
authors: Otolaryngology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche Specialistiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors: Lorenzo
authors: L
authors: Pignataro
authors: Department of Information Engineering, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy.
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Manfredi
authors: Audiology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors: Stella
authors: S
authors: Forti
authors: Department of Neurosciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Federal Institute for Occupational Diseases, Brussels, Belgium.
authors: Philippe
authors: P
authors: Dejonckere
mesh_terms: D061725:Accelerometry; D000162:Acoustics; D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000379:methods; D016272:Occupational Health; D009790:Occupations; D010699:Phonation; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone; D013997:Time Factors; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D014833:Voice Quality; D016526:Workload; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Ambulatory phonation monitoring; Call center operators; Phonation; Voice dosimetry; Voice handicap index