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A Multi-Site Feasibility Trial of Embedded Emergency Department Physical Therapy for Dizziness
Sponsor: Northwestern University
Summary
This is a multi-site feasibility trial of an embedded emergency department (ED) physical therapy care model for dizziness at two EDs in the Northwestern Medicine and University of Utah Health systems. The study intervention (embedded ED physical therapy) is a reconceptualization of the traditional outpatient physical therapy care model in which we place a physical therapist directly in the ED to initiate timely care for patients with dizziness; we previously evaluated this intervention in a single center randomized trial for low back pain. This multi-site feasibility trial will be comprised of 9 months of active intervention and 12 months of longitudinal data collection. The two sites will be parallel randomized 1:1 to receive either the embedded ED physical therapy condition (intervention, n=1) or usual care (control, n=1) via simple randomization. This trial focuses on feasibility outcomes - such as our ability to enroll participants, deliver the intervention with fidelity, and collect longitudinal patient-reported outcome data and electronic health record data.
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
100
Start Date
2026-04-01
Completion Date
2028-04-01
Last Updated
2026-04-07
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Embedded Emergency Department Physical Therapy
We place a physical therapist directly in the emergency department to initiate timely care for patients with dizziness rather than waiting on an outpatient referral to physical therapy, which can often take weeks to accomplish, if ever at all. The actual techniques and approaches used by the embedded ED physical therapist in this study (e.g., exercises, maneuvers, coaching) are standard-of-care and do not involve investigational interventions, devices, or drugs.
Usual Care
Standard-of-care treatment for dizziness presenting in the emergency department
Locations (2)
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Chicago, Illinois, United States
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States