Medical assessment of fitness to drive for commercial and private vehicle drivers.
At a recent Irish College of General Practitioner's meeting a needs assessment was carried out as regards GP's training and education in the determination of medical 'fitness to drive'. Participants (n-62) in this survey highlighted the following results. Nearly all are involved in certifying people to drive (over 2/3 for commercial drivers). Difficult issues such as the aging driver, the driver who needs particular medication (i.e. centrally acting agents) or driving with visual impairment were highlighted by those surveyed. While 2/3 refer to the Department of the Environment 'Green Book' for guidance on how to determine 'fitness to drive' with regard to national legislation and standards, and a lesser number refer to the UK (DVLA) or other guidelines; all identified a gap in these recommendations and requested greater clarification regarding 'fitness to drive' in Ireland.' (The solutions proposed by the participants to address this deficit could be divided into two main categories. These included: easy access to clear medical guidelines and training with regard to these i.e. publication or website) and the option for case referral to a medical doctor with expertise in transportation medicine.
Whelan
D
D
Medical Department, CIE 98 Marlborough Street, Dubin 1. declan.whelan@inishrail.ie
Cashman
C
C
D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000592:standards*; D001336:Automobiles; D003071:Cognition; D003132:Commerce; D033161:Government Regulation; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010809:Physical Fitness; D010821:Physicians, Family; D012449:Safety; D014786:Vision Disorders