Introduction: Call center operators are voice professionals with great vocal demand and, consequently, are exposed to voice disorders. Purpose: Characterize vocal and laryngeal aspects among operators of a call center that follows the regulatory standards in ergonomics by measuring voice self-perception, otorhinolaryngological evaluation, and voice perceptualauditory analysis. Methods: The study assessed 30 call center operators between 18 and 41 years old. All subjects were assessed using the Escala de Sintomas Vocais (ESV) -the Brazilian version of the Voice Symptom Scale (VoiSS) -, otorhinolaryngological evaluation using fiberoptic video rhinolaryngoscopy, and voice perceptual-auditory assessment using the GRBASI scale that evaluates degree of voice alteration (G), voice roughness (R), breathiness (B), asthenia (A), strain (S), and instability (I).
Results:The ESV showed a correlation between the overall domain and the other subdomains and between the subdomains limitation and physical. The otorhinolaryngological evaluation revealed that 12 operators had some alteration such as secretion accumulation during phonation and glottic chinks. The voice perceptual-auditory analysis found individuals with normal voice and with slight to moderate degree of alteration, besides a correlation between the item instability in the GRBASI scale and the overall degree, roughness, breathiness, and asthenia. Conclusion: Proper work environments that provide care with voice may improve labor quality of call center professionals, thus mitigating the risks of developing voice disorders. Nonetheless, physical, social, environmental, organizational, and psychological factors may cause voice symptoms among those voice professionals.
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INTRODUCTIONVoice disorders at work hinder communication, interaction, and service efficiency. When working on the phone, voice alterations or imbalance in the use of communication resources compromise the performance of professionals (1) . The association of extended voice use and individual, environmental, and labor organization factors may increase the prevalence of voice complaints, leading to absences and inability to perform duties, which leads to financial and social damages (2) . In recent years, several professionals and specialists in voice have come together to classify a new category of patology, called work-related voice disorder (WRVD), so that the diagnosis and treatment of voice disorders can be organized. WRVD comprehends signs and symptoms such as fatigue when speaking, hoarseness, effort to speak, and loss of vocal efficiency, among others (3) . Call center operators are voice professionals with a high prevalence of vocal wear (4) . They are exposed to the risk of voice disorders due to the intense demand in voice use and have several associated symptoms and complaints (1,5,6) . On average, 64% of call center operators have dry throat; 33%, neck pains; 31%, hoarseness; 26%, voice failures; and 22%, vocal weariness (1) . These professionals often also complain about anx...