Purpose
- The Vestibular Handicap Questionnaire was developed from in-depth interviews with 84 individuals with vertigo ranging in onset from less than 6 months to greater than 5 years.
- The questionnaire was developed to examine the effects of vertigo on disability, handicap and psychological distress.
- It is designed to assess the disabling consequences of vertigo on activities of daily living, social life and leisure activities.
- The questionnaire assesses all of the psychological consequences of vertigo including perceived social problems and degree of emotional distress.
- The VHQ has been referred to as one of the most clinically relevant tools for assessing the disabling impact of vertigo on quality of life.
- The VHQ is suitable tool for the assessment of patient perceived handicap and assessment of the benefits following therapeutic intervention both physically and psychologically.
Acronym
VHQ
Area of Assessment
Activities of Daily Living
Life Participation
Quality of Life
Social Relationships
Social Support
Vestibular
Assessment Type
Patient Reported Outcomes
Administration Mode
Paper & Pencil
Cost
Free
- The Vestibular Handicap Questionnaire is a 25-item questionnaire to assess the effects of vertigo on quality of life.
- The questionnaire consists of 25 items measuring four dimensions of effects of vertigo:
1) Restriction of activity
2) Social anxieties
3) Fear of vertigo
4) Severity of episodes.
- The item scaling is on a 5-point Likert scale from 0 (no handicap) to 4 (maximum handicap).
- Scores range from 0-100 with higher scores indicating greater perceived handicap. ‘Percentage handicap’ was calculated as the average score per item multiplied by 25, giving a theoretical maximum score of 100%.
Required Training
No Training
Instrument Reviewers
Reviewed with references for individuals with vestibular disorders by Tracy Rice, PT, MPH, NCS and Jenny Fay, PT, DPT, NCS and the Vestibular EDGE task force of the Neurology Section of the APTA (2013).
Body Part
Head
ICF Domain
Body Function
Activity
Participation
Measurement Domain
Activities of Daily Living
Emotion
Sensory
Professional Association Recommendation
Recommendations for use of the instrument from the Neurology Section of the American Physical Therapy Association’s Multiple Sclerosis Taskforce (MSEDGE), Parkinson’s Taskforce (PD EDGE), Spinal Cord Injury Taskforce (PD EDGE), Stroke Taskforce (StrokEDGE), Traumatic Brain Injury Taskforce (TBI EDGE), and Vestibular Taskforce (Vestibular EDGE) are listed below. These recommendations were developed by a panel of research and clinical experts using a modified Delphi process.
For detailed information about how recommendations were made, please visit: http://www.neuropt.org/go/healthcare-professionals/neurology-section-outcome-measures-recommendations
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Abbreviations:
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HR
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Highly Recommend
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R
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Recommend
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LS / UR
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Reasonable to use, but limited study in target group / Unable to Recommend
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NR
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Not Recommended
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Recommendations for use based on acuity level of the patient:
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Acute
(CVA < 2 months post)
(SCI < 1 month post)
(Vestibular < 6 weeks post)
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Subacute
(CVA 2 to 6 months)
(SCI 3 to 6 months)
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Chronic
(> 6 months)
(Vestibular > 6 weeks post)
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Vestibular EDGE
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LS
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LS
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Recommendations based on vestibular diagnosis
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Peripheral
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Central
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Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
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Other
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Vestibular EDGE
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LS
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LS
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LS
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LS
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Recommendations for entry-level physical therapy education and use in research:
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Students should learn to administer this tool? (Y/N)
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Students should be exposed to tool? (Y/N)
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Appropriate for use in intervention research studies? (Y/N)
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Is additional research warranted for this tool (Y/N)
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Vestibular EDGE
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No
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Yes
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Yes
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Yes
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Considerations
Limited psychometric properties should be considered before use.
German Version available.
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