The Development of the Vanderbilt Pediatric Dizziness Handicap Inventory for Patient Caregivers (DHI-PC) (2015, McCaslin et al)
This study focused on dizziness and balance problems in children. The researchers developed a caregiver-completed questionnaire (DHI-PC) designed to help children between 5-12 years old who may struggle to explicitly describe their dizziness. The researchers first created a 40-question version based on reports from children, caregivers, clinicians, and vestibular experts. After testing and statistical analysis, the questionnaire was shortened to include 21 questions and be completed by the child’s caregiver. It asks how the child’s “problem” affects areas such as play, schoolwork, walking, concentration, frustration, worry, social participation, and daily activities. The final tool showed strong reliability and excellent short-term test-retest reliability. For Dizzy Care Network, this research supports the importance of providing a range of dizziness intake tools. Children may not describe dizziness the same way adults do. A caregiver questionnaire can help organize what the parent or caregiver is seeing at home, school, and during daily activities. This information can help clinicians understand how much dizziness or imbalance is affecting the child’s life and whether further vestibular evaluation or treatment may be needed.
Permanent Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2015.07.017
Why is this research important for dizziness care?
This research is important because dizziness in children can be hard to recognize. Young children may not have the words to explain spinning, imbalance, blurry vision with movement, or feeling “off.” Instead, they may look clumsy, avoid play, have trouble with stairs, struggle with reading or schoolwork, or become frustrated. The study also shows why caregiver input matters. Parents and caregivers often see how dizziness affects a child’s daily life in ways that may not appear during a short clinic visit.
The DHI-PC may help clinicians understand the impact of dizziness on a child’s function, school participation, social activities, emotions, and confidence. It is not a diagnostic test by itself, but it can help show whether dizziness is affecting the child’s life and whether additional evaluation or treatment may be appropriate. For Dizzy Care Network, this aligns with the goal of helping care-seekers give clinicians a clearer picture before the visit. For pediatric dizziness, that picture often needs to include both the child’s symptoms and the caregiver’s observations.
Key takeaways for Care Seekers
- Children may not always be able to explain dizziness clearly.
- Dizziness in children may look like clumsiness, trouble walking, trouble with stairs, avoiding play, or difficulty with schoolwork.
- A caregiver questionnaire can help show how dizziness affects the child’s daily life.
- The questionnaire does not diagnose the cause of dizziness.
Key takeaways for Clinicians
- The DHI-PC was developed as a caregiver-proxy measure for pediatric dizziness.
- The final DHI-PC demonstrated strong internal consistency and excellent short-term test-retest reliability.
- Suggested severity ranges were 0–16 for no participation or activity limitation, 16–26 for mild limitation, 26–43 for moderate limitation, and greater than 43 for severe limitation.
- The DHI-PC may support pediatric intake, referral decisions, baseline measurement, treatment planning, and pre/post intervention tracking.
- Because it is caregiver-reported, clinicians should interpret results in context, recognizing that caregivers may overestimate or underestimate the child’s lived experience.