Evaluation of driving ability among residents after the duty shift

Medical residents in training have long work shifts that lead increases the risk of traffic accidents. The Asde Driver Test is a test battery with equipment homologated by the Spanish traffic authorities designed to assess psychological and physical aptitude for obtaining the driving license in Spain. We study whether driving ability is objectively affected in this test.

The Asde Driver Test was applied before and in the morning after duty The data were evaluated using the SPSS statistical package, analyzing the variations in score with the Student t-test for paired samples. The results were also compared with the validated assessment criteria of the class B driving license test, based on passing of the cutoff points for each analyzed variable. Subjects with physical limitations precluding test conduction were excluded, as were those with a resting period during the duty shift of over 4h.

Of the 25 residents, 22 cases were therefore included in the data analysis. There were no significant differences in the paired global pre- and post-duty comparison of results, though there were cases in which the results obtained after duty fell short of the recommended criteria for passing the aptitude test.

The Asde Driver Test includes tests relating to anticipation speed, bimanual visual-motor coordination, multiple reaction times, concentrated attention, and resistance to monotony. The results obtained show that fatigue in some cases, though not on a generalized basis, adversely affects skills needed for driving, such as reaction time, resistance to monotony, anticipation speed, or visual-motor coordination. In conclusion, following the resident duty shift, impaired driving ability is observed in some cases that could increase the risk of traffic accidents.