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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| A community based survey of cognitive functioning, highway-code performance and traffic accidents in a cohort of older drivers | | Author(s) | Sanjay Ingley, Srimvasan Chinnaswamy, Manikarassa Devakumar |
| Journal title | International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, vol 24, no 3, March 2009 |
| Pages | pp 247-253 |
| Source | http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/gps |
| Keywords | Driving capability ; Drivers accidents ; Dementia ; Cognitive impairment ; Cognitive processes ; Performance ; Evaluation. |
| Annotation | The Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency (DVLA) allows driving in early dementia, contingent on regular medical assessment. General practitioners (GPs) and psychiatrists require validated and accessible assessments. Some studies have suggested that cognitive testing has utility in the assessment of driving capacity in older drivers. This study raises the possibility of using a Highway Code questionnaire as an adjunct to these tests. 200 drivers aged 65+ were randomly selected from two GP surgeries. Baseline assessment comprised completion of a Highway Code questionnaire (DPHC-98), the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and an abbreviated version of the Alzheimer's disease Assessment Scale Cognitive Subsection (EURO-ADAS). A history of road traffic accidents (RTAs) over the preceding 5 years was obtained. A 12-month follow-up interview, driving status of the subject and occurrence of RTAs were recorded. Predictive power of DPHC-98 and cognitive testing with regard to RTAs were examined through logistic regression analysis. Performance on the Highway Code questionnaire was identified as the only significant regression factor in the prediction of prospective RTAs. However, none of the logistic regression models were able to identify any drivers involved in RTAs either retrospectively or prospectively. Cognitive tests are not linked with risk of driving accidents in older people in any useful way. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-090421214 A |
| Classmark | OPF: OPD: EA: E4: DA: 5H: 4C |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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