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Voice Therapy Per the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System

Towards a Unified System to Classify Treatments for Muscle Tension Dysphonia

Who can join

Ages 14 and older · All sexes

Inclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosis of primary Muscle Tension Dysphonia (pMTD)
* Patients with pMTD will be included regardless of subtype (e.g., functional aphonia, vocal fry, ventricular dysphonia) and they can have secondary diagnoses of reflux.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients diagnosed with pMTD will be excluded if they have secondary diagnoses related to structural, neurological, or respiratory disorders such as laryngitis, obvious vocal fold nodules, polyps, cyst, granuloma, sulci, paradoxical vocal fold motion, chronic cough, confirmed or possible upper airway paralysis/paresis, dysphagia, polypoid corditis, keratosis, presbylarynx, leukoplakia, or history of radiation to the head/neck. Patients with pMTD will be included regardless of subtype (e.g., functional aphonia, vocal fry, ventricular dysphonia) and they can have secondary diagnoses of reflux.
* Non-English speakers. The RTSS-Voice's standard and operationalized categories are in English.

About the study

The goal of this study is to evaluate if using evidence-based, standard ingredient and target codes from the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System - Voice Therapy (RTSS-Voice) in standard of care voice therapy documentation can improve outcomes for patients with muscle tension dysphonia (MTD). The main question it aims to answer is: Since the RTSS-Voice will help clinicians think about their treatment more specifically and in relation to nine evidence-based therapies, will its adoption be associated with improved outcomes? Clinicians across five voice centers will be asked to use the RTSS-Voice to document their voice therapy sessions for patients with MTD. Researchers will compare changes in outcomes between two groups of patients: those treated during the clinician's first year using the RTSS-Voice versus those treated during the clinician's second year using the RTSS-Voice.

What is being tested

• Standard of care voice therapy with novice clinician RTSS-Voice documentation (behavioral)
• Standard of care voice therapy with expert clinician RTSS-Voice documentation (behavioral)

Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital · Participants: 600 · Started: Feb 3, 2026

Contact the study team

• Jarrad Van Stan, PhD, CCC-SLP · Phone: 617-643-8410

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT06152627

Locations in the U.S.

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.