Evalution of Family Physician’s Awareness of Vertigo: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to determine the family physician’s level of awareness on vertigo. The approaches of family medical practitioners and ENT physicians on vertigo-diziness was determined, as well as the knowledge on most common vertigo-causing diseases and the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches of these diseases were contrasted. Methods: 352 physicians including 160 ENT physicians and 192 family physicians were included in the survey study. This study was conducted in the form of an online survey using “google forms” open web page. The questionnaire study was completed by specialist physicians, lecturers and actively working medical residents with more than 1 year of professional experience. Participants were asked to fill in a 34-item questionnaire involving sociodermographic information, the definition of vertigo, the commonest vertigo-causing diseases, the treatment of these diseases and their willingness for educationon vertigo. Results: Concerning the questionnaire item “what is the first disease that comes to mind when vertigo is mentioned?”, 95% of ENT physicians responded benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and 3% of them mentioned Meniere’s disease as their answer while 53% of the family physicians answered BPPV and 35% of them chose Meniere’s disease. 31% of ENT physicians and 63% of family physicians stated that they usually order blood tests to the patients presenting with vertigo complaint. The reply to the question “what is the basic treatment of BPPV” was repositioning maneuvers in 96% of ENT physicians and 71% of family physicians. The rate of performing repositioning maneuvers on patients with BPPV is 97% in ENT physicians and 29% in family medical doctors. Conclusions: The most crucial conclusion of this study is that family physicians participating in the questionnaire need more education about the distinction between vertigo and dizziness and some fundamental points about peripheral vertigo-causing diseases. At this point, we think that organizing courses on vertigo for family physicians will be beneficial in this regard.