Feasibility Study: Physical Therapy for Dizziness in the Emergency Department

This study is looking at a new way to provide physical therapy for people experiencing dizziness in the emergency department (ED). Instead of waiting for an outpatient referral, a physical therapist will be directly available in the ED to start care sooner. This approach, called "Embedded Emergency Department Physical Therapy," is being compared to "Usual Care," which is the standard treatment for dizziness in the ED. The study aims to see how well this new model works in two different hospitals. You might be able to join if you are at least 18 years old, speak English or Spanish, and visit one of the participating EDs for dizziness between 8 am and 8 pm. The researchers will track how many people complete surveys and stay in the study for up to 12 months to understand its success.

Study design
This is a randomized feasibility clinical trial with 100 planned participants. Two hospital emergency departments will be randomly assigned to either receive the embedded physical therapy intervention or usual care.
What's involved
Not specified in the trial record.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Participants will be followed for 12 months after the intervention period to collect survey data.

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NCT07225023

A Multi-Site Feasibility Trial of Embedded Emergency Department Physical Therapy for Dizziness

Recruiting
NAAges 18+InterventionalTreatment
Northwestern University
~100 participants
Updated 2026-04-07 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Embedded Emergency Department Physical TherapyUsual Care

At a glance

Recruiting sites
2 of 2 listed sites are recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Longitudinal participant surveys (effectiveness): missing data rate for the Dizziness Handicap Inventory
Measured over 12 months
+5 more outcomes measured
Dizziness
2 sites across 2 states
Illinois1
Utah1

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Emergency Department (ED) visit with primary diagnosis related to dizziness
ED visit occurring at an ED site participating in randomization (Northwestern Memorial Hospital, University of Utah Hospital)
ED visit check-in time during the hours of 8am-8pm
Age greater than or equal to 18 years; there is no age maximum
English or Spanish-speaking

Exclusion

Severe neurologic deficit concerning for ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke (i.e., that would necessitate activating a stroke code)
Currently in police custody
Unable to consent
Known pregnancy
  • Longitudinal participant surveys (effectiveness): missing data rate for the Dizziness Handicap Inventory12 months

    Rate of missing data for assessments administered between baseline and 12 months. Variable type: binary / proportion.

  • Longitudinal participant surveys (effectiveness): screening-to-enrollment ratioBaseline

    Number of participants who enter screening compared to the number of participants who enroll in the study. Variable type: binary / proportion.

  • Longitudinal participant surveys (effectiveness): participant retention rate defined as completion of at least one follow-up survey.12 months

    Ratio of participants enrolled to the number who complete at least one follow-up survey.

  • Electronic Health Record (EHR) extraction (implementation): adoption of Emergency Department (ED) physical therapyBaseline

    Adoption is defined as the number of potentially eligible dizziness ED visits have a documented order for a physical therapy evaluation. Cross-sectional at the level of site/Emergency Department during the trial. Variable type: Proportion.

  • Electronic Health Record (EHR) extraction (implementation): fidelity of Emergency Department (ED) physical therapyBaseline

    Fidelity is defined as the number of dizziness ED visits that have a structured research note documenting use of the protocol. Cross-sectional at the level of site/Emergency Department (ED) during the trial. Variable type: proportion.

  • Clinician surveys before and after implementation of the intervention (implementation): Normalisation Measure Development Questionnaire (NoMAD) questionnaire scores1-6 months prior to opening study to accrual and 1-6 months after the last participant enrolls at the site.

    1-6 months prior to opening study to accrual and 1-6 months after the last participant enrolls at the site. Variable type: continuous.