Confirmation of the accuracy of a short battery to predict fitness-to-drive of stroke survivors without severe deficits.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this prospective study was to confirm the accuracy of a short assessment battery, used previously in a study to predict fitness-to-drive after stroke, in a new cohort of stroke survivors without severe deficits.


METHODS
A prospective study.


METHODS
A total of 43 (39 men and 4 women) consecutive survivors after stroke who were not severely impaired and who performed the pre-driving assessment, which included a standardized on-road test at the Belgian Road Safety Institute in Brussels, Belgium. On average, participants were 6 months post-stroke, independently ambulant with or without assistive devices, possessed valid drivers' licenses and actively drove prior to stroke onset.


METHODS
Fitness-to-drive decisions based on performance in 15 tests of a full-scale assessment battery were predicted using only the scores from the 3 predictive tests previously identified.


RESULTS
When the discriminant equation from the previous study including performance in the 3 tests (figure of Rey, visual neglect (lateralized mean reaction time) and on-road test) was applied, 37 (86%) of the 43 participants were correctly predicted to pass or fail the pre-driving assessment. The sensitivity and specificity of the predictions were 77% and 92%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
This study shows that the short assessment battery is a good predictor of fitness-to-drive in stroke survivors with moderate physical and cognitive impairments.
Akinwuntan
Abiodun E
AE
Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Sciences, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912-0800, USA. aakinwuntan@mcg.edu
Devos
Hannes
H
Feys
Hilde
H
Verheyden
Geert
G
Baten
Guido
G
Kiekens
Carlotte
C
De Weerdt
Willy
W
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001333:Automobile Driver Examination; D001334:Automobile Driving; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time; D012449:Safety; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation