ABSTRACT
The Barany Society Ad Hoc Committee on Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy has developed guidelines for developing educational programs for continuing education. These guidelines may be useful to individual therapists who seek to learn about vestibular rehabilitation or who seek to improve their knowledge bases. These guidelines may also be useful to professional organizations or therapists who provide continuing education in vestibular rehabilitation. We recommend a thorough background in basic vestibular science as well as an understating of current objective diagnostic testing and diagnoses, understanding of common tests used by therapists to assess postural control, vertigo and ability to perform activities of daily living. We recommend that therapists be familiar with the evidence supporting efficacy of available treatments as well as with limitations in the current research.
Subject(s)
Education, Continuing/methods , International Cooperation , Occupational Therapy/education , Physical Therapy Modalities/education , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Vestibular Diseases/rehabilitation , Activities of Daily Living , Clinical Competence/standards , Education, Continuing/legislation & jurisprudence , Education, Continuing/standards , Humans , International Cooperation/legislation & jurisprudence , Occupational Therapy/legislation & jurisprudence , Occupational Therapy/methods , Physical Therapy Modalities/legislation & jurisprudence , ScienceABSTRACT
The goal of this study was to determine how occupational and physical therapists learn about vestibular rehabilitation therapy, their educational backgrounds, referral patterns, and their ideas about entry-level and advanced continuing education in vestibular rehabilitation therapy. The Barany Society Ad Hoc Committee for Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy invited therapists around the world to complete an E-mail survey. Participants were either known to committee members or other Barany Society members, known to other participants, identified from their self-listings on the Internet, or volunteered after reading notices published in publications read by therapists. Responses were received from 133 therapists in 19 countries. They had a range of educational backgrounds, practice settings, and referral patterns. Few respondents had had any training about vestibular rehabilitation during their professional entry-level education. Most respondents learned about vestibular rehabilitation from continuing education courses, interactions with their colleagues, and reading. All of them endorsed the concept of developing standards and educating therapists about vestibular anatomy and physiology, vestibular diagnostic testing, vestibular disorders and current intervention strategies. Therefore, the Committee recommends the development of international standards for education and practice in vestibular rehabilitation therapy.
