The voice is the sound generated by the vibration of the vocal folds (or vocal cords) under the effect of air exhaled from the lungs: this process is called phonation. The acoustic signal produced in the larynx is then shaped by its passage through the resonance cavities (pharynx, oral, labial, and nasal cavities). The different sounds of human language (phonemes) are then produced, and their succession results in articulated speech. The tool developed in this project aims to offer a digital solution (application) in the healthcare field to help patients suffering from disorders or pathologies that cause impaired vocal quality (dysphonia) or temporary loss of voice (aphonia).
Voice disorders have a major impact on a person's lifestyle, whether in their professional or personal life: they represent a major communication disability. The healthcare pathway for an affected person is currently as follows: 1) diagnosis made by a specialist doctor, 2) voice assessment carried out by a speech therapist, 3) speech therapy rehabilitation, at a rate of approximately 1 session/week for several weeks to several months. The objective of rehabilitation is to modify the patient's vocal motor behaviour, to improve their vocal quality and consequently their quality of life. For treatment to be effective, it is necessary for the patient to practice speech therapy exercises daily at home, to receive feedback on the results of the exercises carried out and to transfer the behaviours learned in therapy into their daily life. The digital solution proposed in this project aims to meet these needs. In addition, it will provide solutions to several logistical difficulties inherent in speech therapy treatment: 1) the shortage of speech therapists and in other countries around the world; 2) the low number of speech therapists trained in the treatment of voice disorders; 3) the lack of access to care in "medical deserts" where patients are on waiting lists before receiving voice rehabilitation; 4) the inability of some patients to travel to the speech therapist's office or hospital due to distance, their health status, or situations such as a pandemic.
Mobile healthcare (mHealth) applications are increasingly accessible, and this market is expanding rapidly. The use of mobile applications has shown positive results in speech therapy rehabilitation for various communication disorders, such as developmental language disorder and neurolinguistic disorder. Mobile applications in the field of voice are scarce, probably related to the technical challenges related to the recording and acoustic analysis of the voice signal. However, a recent study shows that compared to traditional therapy, voice therapy based on mobile applications is less expensive, more flexible for patients and speech therapists, and just as effective. In the (para)medical field, patients benefiting from monitoring involving a mobile application are more satisfied with their health management than patients benefiting from traditional therapeutic monitoring.
For this project, Acapela Group proposes to develop a service offering support to patients and clinicians in the context of therapeutic monitoring of speech disorders voice. The main challenges are 1) to offer a tool allowing patients to carry out therapeutic activities at home on which they will receive feedback in real time, 2) to give the speech therapist the possibility of monitoring the progress of patients between 2 appointments and to provide advice remotely, 3) to help the speech therapist in proposing exercises adapted to the patient's pathology and 4) to extend the care outside the clinical context by relying on new technologies. This type of application is similar to other successes in the health sector where medicine is coupled with technological and digital advances in order to optimize changes in health behaviours.