What happens with the dizzy patient in primary health care? Does education influence treatment?

Dizziness is a common symptom, and recent research shows that physical activity and specific treatment of vertigo and dizziness are effective. The management of dizzy patients requires assessment and, when appropriate, treatment by a physiotherapist. We have therefore studied how general practitioners (GPs) handle patients with vertigo and dizziness, to find out whether treatment follows current research, emphasizing the importance of physical activity and vestibular rehabilitation. We also wanted to find out whether information and education concerning the importance of physiotherapy and rehabilitation had any influence on the choice of treatment. Searches were performed in medical records at two health care centres on two occasions, in 1998 and 2000. In 1999, an intervention in the form of education was given to the staff. Records from the 311 patients with dizziness/vertigo identified in the searches were read and measures taken by the GPs were registered. The most common procedures - blood tests, control of blood pressure and ECG - were more common in 2000 than in 1998. No patients were left without any measure in 2000, which was the case in 1998. Only a few patients were referred to physiotherapy (8% in 1998 and 12% in 2000). It seems that the intervention did not affect the ratio of patients referred to physiotherapy