The Importance of Vestibular Testing & the Dizziness Handicap Inventory

Dizziness, particularly prevalent in older individuals, is a common symptom of vestibular dysfunction. Dizziness can have diverse underlying causes ranging from cardiovascular disease to anxiety, aside from vestibular disorders. Proper vestibular testing equipment and practices allow healthcare professionals to accurately assess symptoms and possible causes, paramount for proper diagnosis and effective treatment. Effective testing is the key to holistic well-being, guiding tailored interventions and elevating treatment outcomes. The Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) is one of many crucial diagnostic tools that help healthcare professionals evaluate and monitor how dizziness affects patients. This structured questionnaire is a dizziness self-assessment of various aspects of a patient’s life, facilitating the identification of potential contributors to dizziness.

Download a printable Dizziness Handicap Inventory

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Using the Dizziness Handicap Inventory to Support Diagnosis, Guide Decision-Making & Chart Patient Progress

G.P. Jacobson and C.W. Newman developed the Dizziness Handicap Inventory as a self-assessment that allows clinicians to better understand the impact of dizziness as a symptom in patients. This 25-item inventory works incredibly well as an intake tool and can serve beyond initial assessment as a dynamic measure for tracking patient progress over time. It covers a spectrum of scenarios, from simple activities to more complex tasks, allowing healthcare professionals to gain insights into individuals’ specific challenges. The DHI can be used to calculate a total score, providing a quantitative measure of the overall impact of dizziness on a patient’s life. This scoring system enables a practice to provide objective monitoring and adaptive interventions to enhance treatment outcomes.

Beyond traditional diagnostic methods, the DHI dizziness self-assessment offers a holistic approach to understanding and addressing the multifaceted impact of dizziness. This tool allows healthcare professionals to tailor interventions to individual needs, ultimately providing more personalized and effective care for those with vestibular disorders. The Dizziness Handicap Inventory thus plays a pivotal role in the initial assessment and ongoing management of dizziness, contributing to improved patient outcomes and overall well-being. That’s why Vestibular First worked with industry experts to create an updated DHI that makes assessment easier for clinicians.  

Online Dizziness Handicap Inventory

We have partnered with Dizzy Care Network to develop an online version that calculates the score and produces a PDF that can be downloaded/shared.  Take a look at the Online Dizziness Handicap Inventory Calculator today!