Driving and Dementia Toolkit

The Driving and Dementia Toolkit helps physicians assess the driving skills of patients with dementia. Previous studies suggest that motor vehicle crash rates double in those with dementia. Patients frequently overestimate their driving capacity, while their family members underestimate this skill compared with a formal assessment. Primary care physicians are frequently asked to determine driving ability at the request of caregivers or licensing offices. The toolkit provides information to assist physicians in the office assessment of driving skills, in communicating results of the assessment to patients and their caregivers, and in linking patients and family members with the appropriate community resources. The toolkit consists of background information on the topic, local resources, necessary forms to access these services, screen questions about older drivers' safety, patient-related information, and a list of frequently asked questions.

The goal of this toolkit is increase health care provider knowledge and confidence in assessing the driving skills of patients with dementia.

In a pre- and post-evaluation physician knowledge and confidence in dealing with driving and dementia increased significantly (p < 0.05) for most of the toolkit content questions. The average number of correct questions answers significantly increased from 5.3 to 7.7 out of a possible 9 (p < 0.001). Study participants reported the intention to begin including additional questions in the patient/caregiver interview when assessing a patient's fitness to drive. Overall satisfaction with the toolkit rated an average of 8.4 out of 10.