Doctors Discussing Driving with Patients

One of the more lively class discussions in my seminar occurs when we take up the issue of older drivers.  All of my students have had some experience with an older driver, and it provides me the opportunity to cover the laws regarding driving as well as the implications of loss of driving privileges.

The Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine recently ran a column on when doctors should discuss driving issues with their elder patients .When should I discuss driving with my older patients? discusses different medical conditions and possible implications on safe driving. The article also covers the importance of being able to drive (at least to those of us in the U.S.) and the impact on an individual when the ability to drive is lost.  The article explains the value of using driver evaluations:

It is therefore understandable for health care providers to feel reluctant or uncomfortable counseling older adults to give up their driving privileges. A health care provider who identifies driving safety concerns can refer a patient to a geriatrician        for further risk assessment or to a certified driver rehabilitation specialist (CDRS) for a driving evaluation. A CDRS will also offer the patient and caregiver information on local resources for transportation alternatives. A list of local CDRSs can be found on the Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists website (www.aded.net). Many hospitals have occupational therapists who are CDRSs.

The article mentions that the evaluation includes not only an assessment of the “rules of the road” but also a cognitive evaluation as well as a driving test if the evaluator deems one necessary.  There is a possibility that Medicare may provide payment; that “depends on diagnosis and the state carrier.”