title: Driving performance in patients with cancer in the head and neck region: a pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate actual driving performance in a group of patients with cancer in the head and neck region.
  
  
  METHODS
  A nonrandomized controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten patients with cancer in the head and neck region participated in a driving evaluation using a virtual reality driving simulator. Driving performance from the simulator and observer ratings on participants' driving behaviors were compared between a group of patients with cancer in the head and neck region and a group of 50 community control subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Average speed, mean brake reaction time, steering variability, the total number of (fatal and nonfatal) collisions during the 12-minute evaluation course on the driving simulator, and the score of the 18-item Simulator Driving Performance Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using Mann-Whitney U tests, the brake reaction time and the steering variability in the cancer group were significantly longer and larger, respectively, than those in the control group (P = .04) and (P = .02). However, no significant differences were found between the 2 groups in the mean rank scores for average speed, total number of collisions, and Simulator Driving Performance Scale (P >.05 for all).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This pilot study provides preliminary evidence indicating inferior driving performance in a group of patients with cancer in the head and neck region when compared with a community control group. Further study is needed to investigate factors attributing to the difference.
authors: Occupational Therapy Educational Program, College of Health Professions, Medical University of South Carolina, 77 President Street, Charleston, SC 29425, USA. yuen@musc.edu
authors: Hon K
authors: HK
authors: Yuen
authors: M Boyd
authors: MB
authors: Gillespie
authors: Russell A
authors: RA
authors: Barkley
authors: Terry A
authors: TA
authors: Day
authors: Dipankar
authors: D
authors: Bandyopadhyay
authors: Anand K
authors: AK
authors: Sharma
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001288:Attention; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010039:Otorhinolaryngologic Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time; D012016:Reference Values; D014584:User-Computer Interface