Clinical Study
To Drive or Not to Drive: Assessment Dilemmas for GPs
Table 2
GPs’ attitudes towards their role of assessing fitness to drive and subsequent consequences (
).
| Question | Strongly agree/agree | Disagree/strongly disagree | No response |
|
I am confident in my ability to evaluate the driving fitness of my patients | 114 | 53% | 97 | 45% | 6 | 2% |
I know about alternative transport options in the local area for patients who can no longer drive | 171 | 79% | 44 | 20% | 2 | 1% |
I am concerned about my legal liability in relation to assessing fitness to drive | 160 | 74% | 55 | 25% | 2 | 1% |
A GP should be the initial person who assesses fitness to drive | 135 | 62% | 80 | 37% | 2 | 1% |
GPs should be primarily responsible for deciding who is fit to drive | 45 | 20% | 169 | 79% | 3 | 1% |
OTs should be primary responsible for deciding who is fit to drive | 121 | 56% | 90 | 41% | 6 | 3% |
It is the patient’s responsibility to report medical conditions to VicRoads | 185 | 85% | 28 | 13% | 4 | 2% |
Medical practitioners who have been specially trained for assessing fitness to drive should be primarily responsible for making this decision | 144 | 67% | 70 | 32% | 3 | 1% |
Reporting a patient who I consider an unsafe driver to the driver licensing authority negatively impacts on the doctor-patient relationship | 170 | 79% | 45 | 20% | 2 | 1% |
I have been unduly pressured by patients to reconsider my decision to report them | 99 | 46% | 112 | 52% | 6 | 2% |
Revoking a patient’s licence often leads to negative consequences for the patient | 171 | 79% | 44 | 20% | 2 | 1% |
I have had patients leave my practice over revoking their licences | 50 | 23% | 161 | 75% | 6 | 2% |
There are implications for vehicle insurance if a patient is unfit to drive | 202 | 94% | 9 | 4% | 6 | 2% |
I contact the Driver Licensing Authority in Victoria to seek guidance or advice | 113 | 52% | 98 | 46% | 6 | 2% |
|
|