Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a specific type of short-duration vertigo that is provoked by changes in head position and usually lasts less than one minute. It is a common vestibular pathology that can have significant effects on patient safety, quality of life, and medical costs. Therefore, it is crucial that medical students are educated and trained to facilitate and coordinate care of patients who may have undiagnosed BPPV. Because there is evidence to suggest that physicians—specifically primary care physicians—may not be properly equipped in their education to manage patients with BPPV, the purpose of this study was to investigate medical students’ evaluations of their preparedness to provide evidence-based care in the diagnosis and treatment of BPPV. An anonymous survey was administered via email to medical students in their fourth and final year of medical school at East Tennessee State University’s Quillen College of Medicine. This survey includes statements about the evidence-based Clinical Practice Guideline on BPPV provided by the American Academy of Otolaryngology. Respondents rated the degree to which they agreed or disagreed with how prepared they felt to address each item using a 5-point response scale from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” Of the 70 students in the current fourth year class, 41 (59%) completed the survey. Students felt prepared for some aspects of diagnosing and treating BPPV, especially with regard to their general knowledge of BPPV, its impact on patients’ lives, and the options available to manage it. They felt less prepared to know when or if it is appropriate to recommend additional testing, imaging, or medication. They did not feel confident in their ability to perform the maneuvers to diagnose and treat BPPV. Overall, these results suggest medical students have a good foundation in their knowledge of BPPV. These results also propose topics to support more specialized training during their residencies to build upon the foundational knowledge obtained during their didactic training and optimize diagnosis and management of BPPV.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:asrf-1175 |
| Date | 05 April 2018 |
| Creators | Hicks, Courtney, Fagelson, Marc, Riska, Kristal, Schairer, Kim |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Appalachian Student Research Forum |
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