Perception of health-related quality of life in people with vestibular disorders: a phenomenological approach from lived experience and belief systems

Most studies on health-related quality of life in vestibular disorders rely on standardized symptom- and function-based assessments. However, these approaches may overlook the meanings individuals attribute to their experiences and the belief systems through which they interpret their condition....

Continue reading at PubMed →

Standard vestibular quality-of-life questionnaires may not fully capture patients' lived experience; clinicians should consider supplementing them with open-ended conversation, but no specific practice change is mandated by this qualitative study alone.

This study challenges the adequacy of symptom-based outcome measures in vestibular care and highlights the need for more patient-centered, culturally sensitive assessment approaches.

1. 01Qualitative phenomenological study exploring quality-of-life perceptions in people with vestibular disorders.
2. 02Patients' personal belief systems and cultural contexts strongly shape how they experience and interpret their condition.
3. 03Standard symptom-based tools may miss dimensions of lived experience that matter most to patients.
4. 04Findings support integrating narrative or open-ended methods alongside validated questionnaires in vestibular assessment.
5. 05Published in Quality of Life Research (2026); evidence is descriptive and hypothesis-generating, not confirmatory.

PMID

42667304

DOI

10.1007/s11136-026-04377-8.

Journal

Quality of Life Research

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

4

Population

Adults living with vestibular disorders

Intervention

Phenomenological qualitative interviews exploring lived experience and belief systems