A Clinical Pathway for Hospitalization of Patients with Acute Vertigo

Managing acute vertigo in the emergency department (ED) presents several challenges: (1) emergency physicians must differentiate dangerous cases of vertigo; (2) determining the appropriate department to admit the patient to for undiagnosed, but admission-requiring vertigo can be difficult; (3) contacting and calling the on-call physician responsible for the hospitalized patient is necessary; and (4) significant time is required to manage cases where medically stable patients refuse to go home due to anxiety or social reasons. These issues place a heavy burden on the ED staff.