Voice handicap prevalence among healthcare workers in China and Indonesia

• The most frequently reported symptoms were ‘voice tiredness’ and ‘clearing the throat’. • Longer working hours and working years were significantly associated with voice-related symptoms. • The healthcare workers in China and Indonesia both reported mild voice disorders based on the VHI-30. • One-fourth of healthcare workers in China had VHI-30 scores exceeding 30, compared to only 7% in Indonesia. This study investigated the prevalence of voice disorders among healthcare workers in China and Indonesia. A questionnaire was administered to 721 healthcare workers, with 411 from China and 310 from Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire assessed vocal-related symptoms, perceived voice handicap, frequently heard noise sources, and the quality of communications. The results revealed that the most frequently reported symptoms were ‘voice tiredness’ (20.5 %) and ‘clearing the throat’ (18.3 %). Specifically, 19.4 % of Chinese healthcare workers experienced voice-related symptoms, whereas only 6.3 % of Indonesians reported such symptoms. Longer working hours and working years were significantly associated with voice-related symptoms. Furthermore, the healthcare workers in China and Indonesia both reported mild (<30) voice disorders based on the Voice Handicap Index (VHI-30). Approximately one-fourth (23.8 %) of healthcare workers in China had VHI-30 scores exceeding 30, compared to only 7 % in Indonesia. The differences in vocal-related symptoms and voice handicap between the two countries were significant. Healthcare workers with 50–60 working hours per week exhibited higher scores than those working 40–50 h per week in both countries. Additionally, communication quality and the severity of voice problems for healthcare workers in China were worse than in Indonesia during the pandemic.