title: A Swedish survey of occupational therapists' involvement and performance in driving assessments.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which occupational therapists (OTs) are involved in driving assessments in Sweden and how these assessments are performed. A questionnaire was sent to 154 geriatric, rehabilitation, and neurological clinics, and additionally directly to 19 OTs who had purchased a test battery specifically used for driving assessments. The response rate was 60%. Of those responding, 57% reported being involved in fitness-to-drive assessments. However, such assessments were carried out in various manners and diverse methods were used, ranging from unstandardized activity assessments to a test developed specifically for driving assessments. Only 19% used on-road driving tests as a complement to the clinical assessments. Apart from the lack of appropriate methods, the respondents said that they did not have sufficient knowledge to perform driving assessments and expressed a need for further education. In the future it seems necessary for OTs in Sweden to undergo specialized training and perform the assessments on a regular basis to maintain a high level of competence as driving assessors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Care Science and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. helena.u.larsson@ki.se
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.forename: Catarina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lundberg
authors.forename: Torbjörn
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Falkmer
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Johansson
mesh_terms: D001334:Automobile Driving; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D013548:Sweden