P106: The BPPV Tool: designing a smartphone app to aid in the diagnosis of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

Abstract

Innovation Concept: Dizziness is an increasingly common presenting complaint in the emergency department (ED), accounting for >2% of visits annually or almost 30% of visits in patients aged over 65. Approximately half of all cases of dizziness in older adults are caused by benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). The use of computerized tomography (CT) to rule out serious but rare underlying central nervous system (CNS) causes in patients with dizziness in the ED is increasing despite guidelines supporting the use of clinical exam maneuvers such as the Dix-Hallpike test and therapeutic canalith repositioning maneuvers. Evidence indicates that these clinical tools are underutilized due to clinician discomfort or lack of understanding in performing and interpreting the maneuvers, supporting brief and accessible clinical resources that incorporate video examples to address this. Methods: Through an iterative process the authors have developed a smartphone app that is designed to facilitate the clinical diagnosis of BPPV and provide treatment maneuvers where appropriate. The app is being tested by clinicians practicing emergency medicine or primary care in Northern Ontario. Curriculum, Tool, or Material: The BPPV Tool is designed as a step-wise guide to diagnose BPPV. Clinicians will be prompted to perform specific exam maneuvers based on clinical findings, and can follow short example videos or written directions. Potentially precipitated nystagmus is described along with example videos. Provocative tests include the Dix-Hallpike and Supine Roll. If appropriate, the clinician will be prompted to perform therapeutic repositioning maneuvers such as the Epley or Gufoni, with associated sample videos, descriptions, and billing information where available. If at any point a clinician's exam findings are not in keeping with a diagnosis of BPPV, they will be alerted to this and stop progressing through the app. Conclusion: The BPPV Tool is an accessible and easily disseminated smartphone app designed to improve clinician comfort in reliably diagnosing BPPV. Diagnosing this common condition clinically is supported in the literature and can reduce the number of unnecessary CT scans performed, which would reduce healthcare costs and ED length of stay for these visits, and could reduce the number of patient transfers from peripheral sites for imaging.