The Eastern Health Acute Vestibular clinic is the only of its kind in Victoria, helping reduce the Neurology Specialty Clinics waiting lists.
Advanced Vestibular Implementation Lead and physiotherapist, Mandy Marriott, along with a team of highly trained physiotherapists have been able to give people more accurate answers about their condition and provide relief from symptoms of dizziness and vertigo that some patients have been suffering from for close to 20 years.
“We changed the diagnosis for 67 per cent of patients because they came in with either incorrect or no diagnosis. Making a diagnosis and being able to put patients on the right treatment plan or guide correct medical management, has huge implications for those with dizziness because it can be so debilitating,” she said.
“This clinic helps patients with vestibular or dizziness problems. The vestibular system comprises the brain and the inner ear. They work together to coordinate balance and so we often see patients with balance, falls or dizziness problems.”
“We get a complete mix of patients and their severity. We triage from the neurology waiting lists where patients can be dizzy for many years and may have stopped work or are housebound, because of their dizziness.
“We also receive patients who have come through the emergency department, where it’s their first time being dizzy and they’ve potentially had it for a couple of days. They’re quite anxious because being dizzy and not knowing why you’re dizzy, can be really scary for some patients,” Ms Marriott said.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), is the most common condition that clinicians see, with 43 per cent of patients in the clinic presenting with the condition. BPPV occurs when the crystals deep within the ear become dislodged.
“Not only can we test for that, we can fix the crystals then and there.”
Being the first of its kind, Ms Marriott and the team have been working hard to not only treat consumers, but also create the blueprint for future vestibular clinics just like this one.
“There are comprehensive training packages already in existence for advanced orthopaedic physiotherapists, however there is nothing that exists for this clinic. So we are creating all of those training packages; competency frameworks and operational frameworks starting from scratch.
“The service that we provide is so fulfilling because of the changes that we can make for each of our patients. We make them feel less dizzy, more balanced, safer and more confident in their abilities. It’s so worthwhile.”
