Emergency Department Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy for Dizziness and Vertigo

A Pilot Feasibility Trial of Emergency Department Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy for Dizziness and Vertigo

ED-VeRT will enroll up to 125 adult emergency department (ED) patients presenting with a chief complaint of dizziness or vertigo to collect longitudinal outcomes over 3 months of follow-up. This will include 50 patients who were evaluated by an ED physical therapist (ie, vestibular rehabilitation) during their ED visit and 50 patients who received usual care. The aims of this trial are to: (1) obtain initial estimates of participant recruitment and retention, intra-cluster correlation, and between-group outcome differences that will inform sample size calculation for a future randomized clinical trial, and (2) assess feasibility and fidelity of a clinical classification protocol for undifferentiated dizziness among patients receiving ED vestibular rehabilitation.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Chief complaint relating to dizziness or vertigo
• Ability to complete follow-up data collection electronically or by telephone
• English-speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severe neurologic deficit concerning for ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke
• Known pregnancy, under police custody, unable to consent