Yardley 2004.
Methods | Design: randomised controlled trial | |
Participants |
Number: 170 Age: intervention group: mean age 62.9 (SD 15.2), comparator group: mean age 61.0 (SD 14.4) Gender: intervention group: 24 males, comparator group: 25 males Setting: conducted in 20 general practices, delivered by primary care nurse Eligibility criteria: dizziness of vestibular origin diagnosed by case history and MPD Exclusion criteria: non‐vestibular cause for dizziness, duration of dizziness less than 2 months in the past 2 years, vigorous head or body movement contraindicated, serious comorbid conditions Baseline characteristics: no differences between groups |
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Interventions |
Intervention group: VR (primary care: demonstration, booklet and follow‐up) (n = 83) Comparator group: control, usual medical care (n = 87) VR versus control (usual medical care) |
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Outcomes |
Primary outcome: VSS (short form) Secondary outcomes: CDP, DHI, MPD |
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Notes | 25 participants were lost to follow‐up: 5 from each group at the end of the 3‐month intervention, then a further 7 and 8 respectively from the intervention and comparator groups at the 6‐month follow‐up | |
Risk of bias | ||
Bias | Authors' judgement | Support for judgement |
Random sequence generation (selection bias) | Low risk | Stratified block randomisation was performed by an independent researcher |
Allocation concealment (selection bias) | Low risk | Allocation was concealed in sealed, opaque envelopes |
Blinding (performance bias and detection bias) All outcomes | Low risk | Outcome assessors were blinded to group allocation |
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes | Low risk | Data were missing at several time points but this was accounted for in the intention‐to‐treat analysis |
Selective reporting (reporting bias) | Low risk | Study protocol is available and all data appear to be reported |
Other bias | Low risk | The study appears to be free of other sources of bias |