title: The prevalence of voice disorders in 911 emergency telecommunicators.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Emergency 911 dispatchers or telecommunicators have been cited as occupational voice users who could be at risk for voice disorders. To test the theoretical assumption that the 911 emergency telecommunicators (911ETCs) are exposed to risk for voice disorders because of their heavy vocal load, this study assessed the prevalence of voice complaints in 911ETCs.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey was sent to two large national organizations for 911ETCs with 71 complete responses providing information about voice health, voice complaints, and work load.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although 911ETCs have a higher rate of reported voice symptoms and score higher on the Voice Handicap Index-10 than the general public, they have a voice disorder diagnosis prevalence that mirrors the prevalence of the general population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 911ETCs may be underserved in the voice community and would benefit from education on vocal health and treatments for voice complaints.
authors: Allied Health and Communicative Disorders, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois.
authors: Heidi
authors: H
authors: Johns-Fiedler
authors: Allied Health and Communicative Disorders, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois. Electronic address: mvanmersbergen@niu.edu.
authors: Miriam
authors: M
authors: van Mersbergen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007587:Job Description; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016272:Occupational Health; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014833:Voice Quality; D016526:Workload; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: 911 Emergency telecommunicators; Prevalence; Voice disorders