The NPs Role of Assessing and Intervening with Older Adult Drivers

Table 1

Major categories of nurse practitioner strategies for determining when to intervene with an older driver ( incidents).

Major category	Number of incidents	Percent
(I) Identifying changes in physical status (38 incidents, 43%)
(1) Identifying physical frailty (decreased mobility and strength)	21	55%
(2) Assessing changes in sensory impairment	12	32%
(3) Evaluating symptoms of new onset neurologic disease	2	5%
(4) Assessing changes in patient’s functional status	2	5%
(5) Evaluating postmyocardial infarction status	1	2%
(II) Evaluating older driver’s mental status (35 incidents, 39%)
(1) Assessing diminished short-term memory, forgetfulness, or diagnosis of dementia	30	86%
(2) Assessing for impulsivity/lack of judgment	5	14%
(III) Hearing concerns from family members (10 incidents, 12%)
(1) Obtaining collateral information from family members	10	100%
(IV) Evaluating medications (3 incidents, 3%)
(1) Evaluating medications for drowsiness side-effects	3	100%
(V) Retrieving driving information (2 incidents, 2%)
(1) Obtaining a self-report of impaired driving	1	50%
(2) Retrieving a report of a motor vehicle accident	1	50%
(VI) Assessing drug and alcohol abuse (1 incident, 1%)
(1) Assessing history of drugs and/or alcohol abuse	1	100%