Does training therapists to manage benign paroxysmal positional vertigo in patients with acute traumatic brain injury reduce vestibular neurology referrals?

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Informa Healthcare Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 8710358 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1362-301X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 02699052 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Brain Inj Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: London : Informa Healthcare
      Original Publication: London ; New York : Taylor & Francis, c1987-
    • Subject Terms:
      Brain Injuries* ; Brain Injuries, Traumatic*/complications ; Neurology*; Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo/etiology ; Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo/therapy ; Dizziness/therapy ; Humans ; Referral and Consultation
    • Abstract:
      Objective: Dizziness is common in patients with acute traumatic brain injury (aTBI). However, patients are not always managed by the ward team but instead are referred to a visiting vestibular neurology team or referred for outpatient follow-up. We aimed to ascertain whether training trauma ward therapists to manage a common form of post-traumatic dizziness (Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo [BPPV]) reduced referrals to a visiting vestibular neurology team.
      Design: Referrals of patients with aTBI with complaints of dizziness to the visiting vestibular neurology team were audited from the Major Trauma Centre at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. Ward therapists subsequently received training on management of BPPV. Referrals to the vestibular neurology service were re-audited. Therapist confidence in assessing and treating BPPV was also assessed pre and post-training.
      Results: Pre-training, referral rate to the visiting vestibular neurology service was eight patients per month. Following training, referrals to the vestibular neurology service reduced by 35%. Therapist confidence improved significantly following training.
      Conclusions: Training trauma ward therapists to manage BPPV reduced referrals to a visiting vestibular neurology service. Further research is necessary to assess implications for service and patient level parameters, such as length of stay and time to discharge.
    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo; acute traumatic brain injury; allied health professionals; post traumatic dizziness
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20220208 Date Completed: 20220614 Latest Revision: 20220718
    • Publication Date:
      20221213
    • Accession Number:
      10.1080/02699052.2022.2034955
    • Accession Number:
      35133230