Physician responsibility in driver assessment.
This study describes the present physician practice of counseling patients about driving and reporting potentially unsafe drivers. A survey was sent to all licensed general practitioners, internists, ophthalmologists, neurologists, and neurosurgeons in Connecticut. Fifty-nine percent (2,049/3,450) of eligible physicians responded to the questionnaire. Seventy-seven percent of responding physicians stated that they discussed driving with their patients and 14% reported patients to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Specialists were more likely to discuss driving. Seventy-four percent of physicians thought that after a certain age individuals should be screened for their ability to drive. Overall, 59% of physicians thought it was their responsibility to report unsafe drivers to the Department of Motor Vehicles and the primary reasons for reporting were that driver safety was a public health issue and that potentially unsafe drivers posed a risk to themselves or to others. It was concluded that physicians recognize that driving safety is an important public health issue that needs better-defined legal and medical guidelines.
Drickamer
M A
MA
Veterans Administration Medical Center, West Haven, Connecticut 06516.
Marottoli
R A
RA
D000367:Age Factors; D001334:Automobile Driving; D003237:Connecticut; D003376:Counseling; D004989:Ethics; D006801:Humans; D008511:Medicine; D010819:Physician's Role; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D012941:Social Responsibility; D013038:Specialization; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires