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 (𝑛=217).

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%