Outcomes and Patient Experience in Individuals With Longstanding Dizziness

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Otolaryngology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Chronic dizziness presents a complex diagnostic and management challenge.
• Multidisciplinary teams offer a comprehensive approach to evaluating dizziness, unsteadiness, vertigo, and balance problems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between changes in self-perceived dizziness handicap and patient health questionnaire scores.
• To assess patient perceptions of the value of multidisciplinary team evaluations for dizziness.

Main Methods:

• Seventy-eight patients completed the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) and Patient Health Questionnaire-Fourth Edition (PHQ-4) post-consultation.
• Patient diagnoses were classified as structural, functional, or psychiatric.
• Follow-up phone interviews assessed symptom changes and patient experience at least 6 months post-visit.

Main Results:

• Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) scores improved significantly across all diagnostic categories (structural, functional, psychiatric).
• Patient satisfaction and likelihood to recommend the multidisciplinary team correlated with improved DHI scores.
• Anxiety scores (PHQ-4) showed mixed results, worsening in structural diagnoses but improving in psychiatric diagnoses.

Conclusions:

• Multidisciplinary team management provides significant value for patients with chronic dizziness, leading to high satisfaction.
• Coordinated, unhurried consultations and managed expectations contribute to positive patient experiences, even if dizziness handicap scores show less change.
• The approach is beneficial regardless of the underlying etiology of dizziness.