VOIZZR Voice and Cough Study – Partner guide

For medical staff and study partners in Bangladesh

A research study in Bangladesh: can voice and cough help us understand TB and whooping cough?

Patients record a cough, count to ten and say “aaaa” on their own phone – about 3 minutes. Hospitals, universities and doctors take part and run the study themselves. We only help with the setup.

  1. Send a short request below
  2. Get your access key and register patients
  3. Patients record on their phone

Request participation Read the guide

See it first: Demo of the recording page · Demo of the cockpit · Demo of the map (made-up data)

Want to take part?

Universities, hospitals and doctors can run the study on their own. We only help with the first setup. Write to cklasen@voizzr.com with your institution, country and a contact person. You then get your own access key that shows only your cases.

1. What the study is

We collect short voice and cough recordings together with a few symptom answers, to study how the voice changes in whooping cough (pertussis) and tuberculosis. Patients record on their own phone through a link. You register patients and see the recordings in the Cockpit.

2. What you need
  • The Cockpit page address and the admin key (from the study lead – keep it private, never write it in chats).
  • A passphrase of your own, at least 8 characters, long and not a name. It protects the local case file.
  • A computer or tablet with a current browser.
3. First start
  • Open the Cockpit and create your case file (passphrase + admin key).
  • Names and contacts stay only in this encrypted file on your device. The server never receives names.
  • Export a backup regularly (tab “Case file”). Without the passphrase and a backup the name list is lost.
  • The Cockpit locks itself after 10 minutes without use.
4. Register a patient
  • Tab “New case”: choose Single person or Household (one phone, several people).
  • Enter the group (your clinic or ward) and choose the division. Then enter the name – it stays on your device.
  • Household: enter a short label per person (for example initials). No full names on the phone.
  • Press “Create case”. You get a link, a QR code and a one-time PIN.
5. Hand over link and PIN
  • Send the link by WhatsApp or show the QR code. Some old phones cannot scan QR – then use the link.
  • Give the PIN in person or through another channel – never in the same message as the link. It is shown only once.
  • The link works for 30 days, the PIN for 48 hours. If it expired, issue a new PIN in the case (maximum 3 times).
6. What the patient does
  • Reads a short introduction in Bangla, Hindi, Urdu or English and agrees to take part (voluntary).
  • Answers a few symptom questions. Sharing the approximate location is optional.
  • Records three short sounds: a cough, counting 1 to 10, a steady “aaaa”. About 3 minutes.
  • Please ask patients to sit in a quiet place and to record again every few days – the same link works.
7. In the Cockpit
  • Tab “Cases”: status, number of sessions, voice deviations, PIN requests (marked “new PIN requested”).
  • Tab “Recordings”: by default only verified recordings. “Not verified, maybe another person” is hidden, not deleted.
  • Tab “Regions”: area overview. Groups with fewer than 3 profiles are hidden so nobody can be recognised.
  • First recording of a person is a provisional reference. Confirm it only if you know it is the right person (for example recorded in the clinic).
8. Shared phones and problems
  • One phone for a family: use Household. Everyone picks their own profile and starts – if a voice does not match, we see it later.
  • Lost phone or new phone: issue a new PIN. Stolen or wrong person: revoke the link.
  • Voice check can drop for very sick people. A mismatch is a hint, not proof.
9. Rules
  • No real names, phone numbers or addresses in the platform, in profile labels or in messages.
  • Participation is voluntary. A patient can stop at any time; tell the study lead to have the data deleted.
  • This is research, not a diagnosis. Patients get no result here. Very sick patients must see a doctor.
  • Never share the admin key or passphrase. Lock the Cockpit when you leave your desk.
  • Do not take screenshots of the Cockpit with names.

Studies and background

Early research on cough sound analysis. These studies do not show that this platform can diagnose any disease – that is what our study examines.

10. Help

Contact the study lead for the admin key, a new Cockpit address, deletion requests or technical problems. cklasen@voizzr.com

Version 0.11 – draft, to be reviewed by the study lead and the ethics committee.