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Published on: March 11, 2021
Driving restrictions post-stroke: Physicians' compliance with regulations
Selina Mårdh1, Pamela Mårdh2, Anna Anund1,3
1a Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute , Linköping , Sweden.
Insights
Physicians in Sweden often fail to document driving cessation advice for stroke patients, impacting patient safety and regulatory compliance. Further investigation into follow-up procedures and gender differences is needed.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Public Health
- Medical Regulations
Background:
- Stroke can cause cognitive and physical impairments affecting driving ability.
- Driving cessation regulations exist in Sweden and many other countries post-stroke.
- Informing patients about driving cessation is a regulatory requirement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess physician compliance with driving cessation regulations after stroke.
- To evaluate follow-up practices for driving fitness post-stroke.
- To explore gender-related aspects in driving cessation documentation.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of medical records.
- Analysis of 342 stroke incidents over one year at a Swedish hospital.
Main Results:
- 81% of medical records lacked driving cessation entries.
- Only 2% of patients had follow-up appointments for driving fitness.
- Significantly more men than women had driving-related journal entries.
Conclusions:
- Swedish driving cessation regulations post-stroke are not consistently followed.
- A standardized method for assessing driving fitness is lacking.
- Observed gender differences in documentation require further study.
Objective:
Suffering a stroke might lead to permanent cognitive and/or physical impairment. It has been shown that these impairments could have an impact on an individual's fitness to drive. In Sweden, as in many other countries, there are regulations on driving cessation post-stroke. Information on driving cessation should be given to all patients and noted in the journal. The present study sought to determine physician's compliance to driving regulations post-stroke as well as follow-up and gender aspects.
Method:
A retrospective study of medical records on stroke patients was carried out. The study covered all of the medical records on stroke incidents (n = 342) during a year at a typical medium to large-sized hospital in Sweden.
Results:
A journal entry on driving cessation post-stroke was missing in 81% of the medical records. Only 2% of the patients were scheduled for a follow-up meeting specifically concerning fitness to drive. Significantly more men than women had an entry on driving in the journal.
Conclusions:
We conclude that the Swedish regulations on driving cessation post-stroke were not followed at the participating hospital. It is crucial that all stroke patients receive information on driving cessation because their condition might affect fitness to drive. Analysis of follow-up records showed that there was no consistent method for assessment of a patient's fitness to drive. There was also a gender difference in the material, which warrants further investigation.
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