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Professional voice use in health and nursing care – Time for reconsideration? A scoping review

Vaartio-Rajalin, Heli ; Lyberg Åhlander, Viveka LU and Nyholm, Linda (2024) In Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences
Abstract

Background: Communication is a key tool in the nursing profession. It is known that listeners are sensitive to the speaker's voice and interpret the speaker's intentions primarily from the non-verbal signal conveyed. Aim: To map and discuss the current state of knowledge and research evidence on professional voice use in health and nursing care. Design and Method: A scoping review adherent to the EQUATOR guidelines PRISMA-ScR. Data Sources: Searches in the EBSCO, CINAHL, Medline, PubMed, PsychInfo and PsycArticles databases were conducted between 1 and 28 February 2023. Results: According to the data (n = 23), health professionals use voice as a vital aspect of caring communication and caring relationships, and in leadership as well as... (More)

Background: Communication is a key tool in the nursing profession. It is known that listeners are sensitive to the speaker's voice and interpret the speaker's intentions primarily from the non-verbal signal conveyed. Aim: To map and discuss the current state of knowledge and research evidence on professional voice use in health and nursing care. Design and Method: A scoping review adherent to the EQUATOR guidelines PRISMA-ScR. Data Sources: Searches in the EBSCO, CINAHL, Medline, PubMed, PsychInfo and PsycArticles databases were conducted between 1 and 28 February 2023. Results: According to the data (n = 23), health professionals use voice as a vital aspect of caring communication and caring relationships, and in leadership as well as inter-professional collaboration, to facilitate information exchange and understanding and promote shared decision-making. The data showed that there is also a rising tendency to explore vocal demands and problems among health professionals. No studies were found on the use of voice in digital health and nursing care services or by social robots. Most of the reviewed studies were cross-sectional, rather small, and focused primarily on the perspectives of healthcare professionals. Conclusion: The use of voice should be explored as a vital aspect of caring communication and caring relationships from the patients' perspective, and the effects of voice use on listeners' emotions and actions should be examined in different contexts with modern, voice-specific data collection methods. Studies focusing on voice use in digital health care and by social robots are also needed. By integrating training programmes, education and technological innovations, health care can leverage the full potential of voice-based communication to promote a more coordinated and patient-centred care environment, true inter-professional collaboration and effective leadership. Impact: Professional voice use is an essential part of all health and nursing care and an impressive method that should be used consciously. Therefore, the meaning and methods of voice use, including speech accommodation, should be systematically introduced into health and nursing care and included in nursing education.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
caring, nursing care, scoping review, voice, voice use
in
Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • pmid:38773887
  • scopus:85193726582
ISSN
0283-9318
DOI
10.1111/scs.13272
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
55c4d981-86d5-465f-9711-324fcde423c1
date added to LUP
2024-06-14 11:50:41
date last changed
2024-06-15 03:00:03
@article{55c4d981-86d5-465f-9711-324fcde423c1,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: Communication is a key tool in the nursing profession. It is known that listeners are sensitive to the speaker's voice and interpret the speaker's intentions primarily from the non-verbal signal conveyed. Aim: To map and discuss the current state of knowledge and research evidence on professional voice use in health and nursing care. Design and Method: A scoping review adherent to the EQUATOR guidelines PRISMA-ScR. Data Sources: Searches in the EBSCO, CINAHL, Medline, PubMed, PsychInfo and PsycArticles databases were conducted between 1 and 28 February 2023. Results: According to the data (n = 23), health professionals use voice as a vital aspect of caring communication and caring relationships, and in leadership as well as inter-professional collaboration, to facilitate information exchange and understanding and promote shared decision-making. The data showed that there is also a rising tendency to explore vocal demands and problems among health professionals. No studies were found on the use of voice in digital health and nursing care services or by social robots. Most of the reviewed studies were cross-sectional, rather small, and focused primarily on the perspectives of healthcare professionals. Conclusion: The use of voice should be explored as a vital aspect of caring communication and caring relationships from the patients' perspective, and the effects of voice use on listeners' emotions and actions should be examined in different contexts with modern, voice-specific data collection methods. Studies focusing on voice use in digital health care and by social robots are also needed. By integrating training programmes, education and technological innovations, health care can leverage the full potential of voice-based communication to promote a more coordinated and patient-centred care environment, true inter-professional collaboration and effective leadership. Impact: Professional voice use is an essential part of all health and nursing care and an impressive method that should be used consciously. Therefore, the meaning and methods of voice use, including speech accommodation, should be systematically introduced into health and nursing care and included in nursing education.</p>}},
  author       = {{Vaartio-Rajalin, Heli and Lyberg Åhlander, Viveka and Nyholm, Linda}},
  issn         = {{0283-9318}},
  keywords     = {{caring; nursing care; scoping review; voice; voice use}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences}},
  title        = {{Professional voice use in health and nursing care – Time for reconsideration? A scoping review}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/scs.13272}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/scs.13272}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}