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Mental impairment and driving licences for elderly people--a survey among Norwegian general practitioners
1Research Group in Geriatrics, Norwegian Health Association, Ullevaal Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Objective:
Study how GPs assess mental function when a health certificate for elderly drivers has to be issued.
Design:
Postal questionnaire survey.
Setting:
Nationwide survey.
Subjects:
Random sample of 532 Norwegian general practitioners, response rate 54%.
Main Outcome Measures:
Open and closed questions.
Results:
Various types of examinations and assessments are carried out in this context. More than 50% always assess mental function. Only 22% use formal mental tests, mostly when in doubt. The assessment of elderly patients for a health certificate for driving is regarded by many as a difficult problem.
Conclusion:
There is a lack of uniformity in issuing a health certificate to elderly drivers, a low use of formal cognitive testing, and problems facing GPs in this context. More concrete guidelines and a formal second-line system would facilitate an objective assessment and could also alleviate the burden on the doctor.