The Intelligibility in Context Scale has been used as an outcome measure for the International Consortium of Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) for patients with a cleft lip and/or palate.
Here is their latest publication:
Ombashi, S., Kurniawan, M. S., Allori, A., Sharif-Askary, B., Rogers-Vizena, C., Koudstaal, M., Franken, M.-C., Molen, A. B. M. v. d., Mathijssen, I., Klassen, A., & Versnel, S. L. (2023). What is the optimal assessment of speech? A multicentre, international evaluation of speech assessment in 2500 patients with a cleft. BMJ Open, 13(12), e071571. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-071571
The analysis of ICS data is really interesting:
- "Moderate correlations were found between PCC and ICS in patients with CP (r=0.64) and in patients with CL(A)P (r=0.5). VPC and ICS had a (negative) weak correlation in patients with CP (r=−0.49) and CL(A)P (r=−0.43)." (p. 4)
- "All correlations between PROMs were moderate, except for the strong correlation of the SFunction with both the SDistress and the ICS in patients with a CP. The fact that the correlation between the SFunction and SDistress is stronger in patients with CP than in patients with CL(A)P suggests that the visibly different appearance in patients with CL(A)P plays a significant role in SDistress as well; in a social context, looking differently may cause additional or more distress besides having speech problems. This is supported by our finding that the ICS correlated moderately with SFunction, but weakly with SDistress in the CL(A)P group. Parent- reported speech intelligibility correlated higher to children’s self report of their speech function than it did to the speech distress the children themselves experience. In the latter, distress about appearance could be included. This finding suggests that the ICS can give an indication of ‘patient- reported’ SFunction in young children who cannot complete a PROM themselves yet (7 years and younger)." (p. 5)
- "A ceiling effect in ICS outcomes of patients with CP, without clear differences between average scores in patients with CP and CL(A)P, suggests that the group with CP contains a diverse population and severity of the speech problems vary widely. Furthermore, since ICS is not specifically developed for a population with CP±L, it is debatable whether this tool captures the information necessary to point out all relevant speech problems in the patient group.However, exclusion of ICS could mean that a large part of the speech problems in the population with CP would remain undetected. Assessment at 5 and 12 years in patients with both cleft types, which is the current timing in the ICHOM Standard Set, appears therefore appropriate despite the ceiling effect." (pp. 7-8)
