Living with dizziness: an explorative study

A qualitative study was conducted for the purpose of exploring how patients with dizziness manage their daily living. Ten patients with history of dizziness were recruited from the out-patient clinic, Department of Audiology, in a hospital in Stockholm. Collection and analysis of data were inspired by the method of grounded theory. Four themes were developed that described the experience of living with dizziness: vulnerable reactions, affirmation and non-affirmation, finding ways to carry on daily living, and expressing the need for health care support. These themes seem to conceptualize these patients' difficulties and needs in relationship to living with dizziness and, given the small sample, have implications for nursing practice and provide a framework for a broader study.