The DHI, DGI, FGA and ABC — what each measures, the published thresholds and the population each was measured in, and the smallest change that exceeds measurement error. You score the instrument. This page is the reference you would otherwise look up.
Dizziness Handicap Inventory
Self-reported handicap from dizziness.
25 items, scored 0 to 100. Higher is worse.
0–30 mild · 31–60 moderate · 61–100 severe (Whitney 2004).
A change of about 18 points or more is generally regarded as exceeding measurement error (Jacobson & Newman 1990).
A self-report of handicap, not a diagnostic test. It measures what the patient reports about their life, not what the labyrinth is doing.
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab; Jacobson & Newman 1990; Whitney 2004
Dynamic Gait Index
Gait and balance across changing tasks.
8 items, scored 0 to 24. Higher is better.
19 or below out of 24 was associated with increased fall risk in older adults and in vestibular disorders.
MDC about 3.2 points in vestibular disorders — a smaller change may be measurement noise.
Has a ceiling effect in higher-functioning patients, which is the reason the FGA exists.
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab; Hall & Herdman
Functional Gait Assessment
Gait assessment with less ceiling effect than the DGI.
10 items, scored 0 to 30. Higher is better.
22 or below out of 30 in community-dwelling older adults (Wrisley & Kumar 2010). The threshold is population-specific — about 15 out of 30 has been reported in Parkinson disease.
MDC about 6 points in vestibular disorders (Marchetti 2014).
The cut-score depends on the population it was derived in. Read the reference for your patient's population before using any threshold.
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab; Wrisley & Kumar 2010; Marchetti 2014
Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale
Self-reported balance confidence across everyday activities.
16 items, scored 0 to 100 percent. Higher is better.
Below 67 percent was associated with increased fall risk (Lajoie & Gallagher). Reported bands: below 50 low function, 50 to 66 fall risk, 67 to 80 moderate, above 80 high.
MCID about 18.1 percent in vestibular disorders (Wellons 2022).
A self-report of confidence. Context matters, and confidence and capacity are not the same measurement.
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab; Lajoie & Gallagher; Wellons 2022
Thresholds are reported with the population they were derived in because they do not transfer between populations. A value from one cohort applied to a different one is a different claim than the paper made.
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