A feasibility study of psychologically informed vestibular rehabilitation for persistent dizziness
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN10420559 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN10420559 |
| ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT) | Nil known |
| Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS) | Nil known |
| Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) | 276707 |
| Protocol serial number | CPMS 44952, IRAS 276707 |
| Sponsor | King's College London |
| Funder | NIHR Academy; Grant Codes: ICA-CDRF-2015-01-079 |
- Submission date
- 06/04/2020
- Registration date
- 08/04/2020
- Last edited
- 30/09/2022
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Signs and Symptoms
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Dizziness can be treated with exercises called vestibular rehabilitation. The exercises retrain the balance system so as to overcome dizziness and imbalance. There is evidence to show that not everyone improves with this treatment. Research shows that what starts the dizziness is not always the same thing that perpetuates the symptoms. The way people cope with the symptoms may contribute to their illness. Treatment outcomes could be improved by including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). This helps patients to understand their dizziness, tackle the understandable fears they have about activity, and to learn how to manage and reduce the symptoms. The aim of this study is to assess whether it is possible to conduct a full-scale main study. To do this the researchers will collect important information that is needed to design a larger study alongside interviews with participants.
Who can participate?
Participants will need to be over the age of 18 and have had dizziness for 3 months or longer. They must have a minimum level of dizziness-related disability, and not be receiving treatment. Participants will not be included if they have ongoing investigations, have other active health conditions that limit their capacity to complete the study, or cannot speak English.
What does the study involve?
Forty participants will be recruited. Consenting participants will be randomly allocated to undergo six sessions of psychologically informed physiotherapy or six sessions of physiotherapy as usual over 4 months. Participants will complete self-report questionnaires about their physical and mental health and a test of their balance before and after the treatments.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
All of the participants, in either group, will still receive active treatment for their condition. The only real cost to participants is the time they will need to spend attending therapy, completing the questionnaires and balance tests needed for the study. For those in the intervention group, they will receive physiotherapy treatment from a qualified physiotherapist who has taken the extra training required for them to deliver it. When undergoing vestibular rehabilitation, dizziness may worsen in the short term.
Where is the study run from?
St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
February 2015 to October 2022
Who is funding the study?
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (UK)
Who is the main contact?
David Herdman
david.herdman@kcl.ac.uk
Contact information
Scientific
Health Psychology Department
King’s College London
5th floor Bermondsey Wing
Guys Hospital
London
SE1 9RT
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0003-2122-5922 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)2071880178 |
| david.herdman@kcl.ac.uk |
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Randomised; Interventional; Design type: Treatment, Psychological & Behavioural, Complex Intervention, Physical, Rehabilitation |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Participant information sheet | ISRCTN10420559_PIS_V2_09Mar20.pdf |
| Scientific title | INVEST: A feasibility randomised controlled trial of psychologically informed vestibular rehabilitation for chronic dizziness |
| Study acronym | INVEST |
| Study objectives | Integrating cognitive-behavioural therapy and vestibular rehabilitation will be feasible and acceptable for people with persistent dizziness and warrant a full-scale randomised controlled trial. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 18/03/2020, Wales Research Ethics Committee 4 (Health and Care Research Wales Support Centre, Castlebridge 4, 15-19 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff, CF11 9AB, UK; +44 (0)7976 982591; Wales.REC4@wales.nhs.uk), REC ref: 20/WA/0089 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Chronic dizziness / Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD) |
| Intervention | This is a randomised controlled feasibility trial. It also includes nested qualitative interviews with participants. The objective is to gather preliminary information in preparation for conducting a full-scale trial in the future. Participants will be recruited from the audiovestibular (balance) clinic at St George's Hospital, London. They will be given an information sheet and approached to screen for eligibility by a member of the healthcare team. Eligible participants wishing to take part in the trial will sign a written consent form indicating that they have read and understood the information sheet and have opportunity to answer any further questions. Participants will then attend a testing appointment, where they will complete a set of baseline self report questionnaires and a test of their balance/walking. Once they have completed the baseline measures they will be randomly allocated to either the intervention and usual care physiotherapy, by a computer. A total of 20 participants will be allocated to each arm, who will complete 6 sessions of physiotherapy over 12-14 weeks. Sixteen weeks after they were randomised they will attend another appointment to complete the same questionnaires and balance test they did at baseline to see if there has been any changes. A proportion of participants in the intervention group will be invited to participate in semi-structured interviews to discuss the acceptability and feasibility of the trial, including the recruitment processes, randomisation, retention, and outcome measures. The treatment in the intervention arm will mirror the best practice physiotherapy (vestibular rehabilitation) guidelines but also include elements of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). The purpose of this intervention is to target individual’s dizziness beliefs and behaviours in order to facilitate their engagement with exercise and vestibular rehabilitation. The development of the intervention was systematic, based on findings of a review and prospective studies, with substantial input from six patient and public representatives and a multidisciplinary team of health psychologists, physiotherapists and Audiovestibular physicians. Participants will be provided with a structured therapy manual including worksheets. The primary researcher (DH) is the principal physiotherapists at St George's Hospital and will deliver the intervention. The treatment as usual will be delivered by another senior specialist physiotherapist at St George's and will comply with the best practice guidelines outlined by the American Academy of Physical Therapy. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
Primary feasibility outcomes collected at the end of the trial: |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
Secondary feasibility outcomes measured at baseline and 4 months: |
| Completion date | 30/10/2022 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Patient |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 40 |
| Total final enrolment | 40 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Patients attending the neuro-otology balance clinic at St George’s University Hospitals Foundation Trust with symptoms of chronic dizziness (>= 3 months) made worse by movement of the self and/or the environment 2. Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) > = 40 3. Aged > = 18 years 4. Not currently participating in vestibular rehabilitation or psychological treatment (talking therapies) 5. Able to provide consent and willing to comply with the proposed training and testing regime |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Patients with incomplete diagnosis or ongoing investigations 2. Patients with vestibular migraine or other headache/migraine disorder with > = 3 headaches a month and/or MIDAS (Migraine Disability Assessment) > = 6 3. Patients with active Meniere’s disease or BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo) 4. Patients with central vestibular disorders (excluding migraine and functional disorders), other neurological disorders, significant systematic illness or known psychiatric disorders 5. Patients with acute orthopaedic disorders influencing balance control and gait 6. Insufficient grasp of written/spoken English |
| Date of first enrolment | 06/07/2020 |
| Date of final enrolment | 24/08/2021 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United Kingdom
- England
Study participating centre
Blackshaw Road
Tooting
London
SW17 0QT
United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | 10/04/2022 | 11/04/2022 | Yes | No | |
| Protocol article | 16/08/2021 | 21/01/2022 | Yes | No | |
| HRA research summary | 28/06/2023 | No | No | ||
| Participant information sheet | version V2 | 09/03/2020 | 08/04/2020 | No | Yes |
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Additional files
- ISRCTN10420559_PIS_V2_09Mar20.pdf
- Uploaded 08/04/2020
Editorial Notes
30/09/2022: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. The overall end date was changed from 14/12/2021 to 30/10/2022.
2. The condition was changed from "Chronic dizziness" to "Chronic dizziness / Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD)".
3. The participant level data sharing statement was added.
4. The plain English summary was updated to reflect these changes.
11/04/2022: The following changes have been made:
1. Publication reference added.
2. The final enrolment number has been added from the reference.
21/01/2022: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. The recruitment end date was changed from 01/01/2022 to 24/08/2021.
2. The overall end date was changed from 01/05/2022 to 14/12/2021.
3. The intention to publish date was changed from 01/09/2022 to 01/03/2022.
4. The plain English summary was updated to reflect these changes.
5. The total final enrolment was added.
6. Publication reference added.
16/03/2021: Recruitment for this study is no longer paused. The following changes have been made:
1. The recruitment end date has been changed from 01/03/2021 to 01/01/2022.
2. The overall trial end date has been changed from 05/07/2021 to 01/05/2022 and the plain English summary has been updated to reflect this change.
3. The intention to publish date has been changed from 01/09/2021 to 01/09/2022.
08/04/2020: The participant information sheet has been uploaded.
06/04/2020: Trial's existence confirmed by the NIHR.
