Trabalho remoto, tecnologias e voz de professores durante a Pandemia da COVID-19: estudo multicêntrico

Abstract

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the teaching routine was adapted to the online environment, incorporating Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to enable emergency remote teaching (ERT). Objectives: to assess the impact of ICTs on the vocal health of teachers engaged in ERT during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted with Basic Education teachers from the public education system. The dependent variable was the risk of vocal disturbance, measured using the Screening Index for Voice Disorder (SIVD) questionnaire. The main independent variables were different forms of ICTs: screen devices for class, headphones, microphones, and the internet. Results: One hundred and eighty-eight 188 teachers from São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, and Campinas participated in the study, with a predominance of women and an average age of 45.85 (±9.0) years. The SIVD indicated a VD in a large portion of the participants, reported having an inadequate internet connection during classes, portable screen devices for class and using headphones, but not using microphones. The use of only the computer as the main screen equipment to teach classes and always had an adequate internet connection reduce the risk of VD. Conclusion: Teachers were at risk of VD when adopting ICTs to enable communication in the ERT. There was a higher risk of VD in female teachers, teachers with a history of vocal changes before the pandemic, and teachers who had already undergone previous treatment but were no longer undergoing treatment during the ERT. The working conditions of the ERE interfered with the vocal health of the teacher. It is expected that this study will help in understanding the relationship between working conditions and environment, technological support and vocal health of teachers in ERE, thus strengthening the evidence of DVRT and the imminent need for actions to mitigate vocal health problems.