Driving and otolaryngology: do we know the rules?

Evans, Andrew; Eng, Chee Yean

doi:10.1017/s0022215105006663

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…While a significant number of patients in our study indicated that they would have liked more clarity on this, and while the Dutch government assumes that health professionals are under an obligation to inform patients about potential limitations related to driving, in 92% of the patients with dizziness and vertigo in our study, the topic of driving was not discussed. This could be because doctors are not aware of the requirements imposed by national law ( 8 , 9 ). Another explanation could be that doctors in the Netherlands regard the current legislation as too strict.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dizziness and Driving From a Patient Perspective

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: People with dizziness may experience driving-related limitations. Few data are available about the impact of dizziness on driving.Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of dizziness on driving, factors related to impairment (age, gender, and type of diagnosis), and the potential consequences for patients' ability to work. We also investigated whether the patients expected and actually received information about their dizziness-related fitness to drive from their physician.Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted in the Apeldoorn Dizziness Centre, a tertiary care referral centre for patients with dizziness. A consecutive cohort of patients was asked to complete a study-specific questionnaire about driving.Results: Between January 1, 2020, and December 20, 2020, 432 patients were included. Fifty-six percent of the patients in this group were female. The average age of patients was 58.3 years (SD 16). Overall, 191 of the 432 patients (44%) experienced limitations related to driving, and 40% of the patients who experienced limitations also experienced limitations to work related to their inability to drive. The subject of fitness to drive had not been discussed with their physician in 92% of the patients, and 24% of the whole patient group indicated that they would have liked to discuss this topic. The following factors, independently from each other, increased the chance of experiencing driving-related limitations: younger age, female sex, and the diagnosis of Meniere's disease.Conclusion: Dizzy patients, especially younger patients, women, and patients with Meniere's disease, regularly experience limitations related to driving, and this often means that they are unable to work. Driving is hardly ever discussed during a medical consultation. In our opinion, the topic of driving and dizziness should always be addressed during medical consultations in dizzy patients.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dizziness and Driving From a Patient Perspective

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This means people are often unable to work, [12][13][14][15] and it has a significant impact on their lifestyle. [16][17][18][19] It is surprising that there is a reported lack of knowledge at patient and practitioner level. 17,18 Consequently, driving was not considered in 92 per cent of patients attending a centre for dizziness and balance disorders.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[16][17][18][19] It is surprising that there is a reported lack of knowledge at patient and practitioner level. 17,18 Consequently, driving was not considered in 92 per cent of patients attending a centre for dizziness and balance disorders. 19 However, given its importance, the topic of driving and dizziness or vertigo should always be addressed in those presenting with these symptoms, 20 and in patients taking medication that causes dizziness or drowsiness, 20 as data are consistent regarding the effects of medications used for dizziness and vertigo on driving ability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medical record prompts improve the frequency and documentation of dizziness and driving conversations in the ENT balance clinic

Burrows,

Roland

2024

J. Laryngol. Otol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundDriving capacity is affected by vestibular disorders and the medications used to treat them. Driving is not considered during medical consultations, with 92 per cent of patients attending a centre for dizziness not discussing it with the doctor.ObjectiveTo investigate if medical record prompts facilitate dizziness and driving conversations in ENT balance clinics.MethodsA questionnaire was designed to reflect the current standards of practice and advice given regarding driving and dizziness during balance clinic consultations.ResultsMedical record prompts facilitated the improved frequency and recording of shared decision-making conversations about driving and dizziness in 98 per cent of consultations.ConclusionThis study highlights the benefits of medical record prompts for documented and accurate shared decision-making conversations surrounding dizziness, vertigo, vestibular conditions and driving. This potentially improves safety for all road users, and protects the patient and clinician in the event of road traffic accidents and medico-legal investigations.

show abstract

“…4,5 There is a lack of uniformity regarding driving regulations of the dizzy patient and a lack of consensus for clinicians on how to evaluate driving ability in dizzy patients. 4,6 This can be attributed to discordant literature. For instance, a recent communication of DIZZYNET (a European network initiative for vertigo and balance research) with data gathered by an insurance company shows there is no increased risk of traffic accidents in people with acute unilateral vestibulopathy or MD.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Driving ability in patients with dizziness: a systematic review

Uwents

Jorissen

Ombergen

et al. 2021

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction-Dizziness is considered one of the most common symptoms in general medical practice. Patients can suffer from a wide range of symptoms that are highly relevant while driving and may affect driving ability. In most countries driving restrictions have been suggested for patients with dizziness or a vestibular disorder. However, these restrictions are not always evidence-based and differ significantly between European countries.Objective-The aim of this systematic review was to identify and evaluate studies dealing with driving performance of dizzy patients or patients with a vestibular disorder. Methods-A systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis guidelines. (1) Data sources: PubMed and the reference list of the included articles. (2) Study selection: articles about driving ability and reported driving difficulties in patients with dizziness, or a diagnosed vestibular disorder, were included.(3) Data extraction was performed by two independent authors using predefined data fields: patient's characteristics, diagnostic criteria, sample size, type of evaluation of driving ability and outcome of the study. The protocol (ID 178086) is available online at PROSPERO. Results-Eight out of 705 articles matched the inclusion criteria but varied widely regarding thestudy population, study design and outcome measures. The majority of studies reported a negative impact of dizziness and/or vestibular disorders on self-reported driving ability and car accidents. Yet several studies could not identify any impairment of driving ability.Conclusions Driving ability was negatively affected by dizziness or a vestibular disorder in the majority of included studies with low risk of bias. This systematic review revealed a significant heterogeneity in reporting driving performance and contradictory results. We were therefore unable to identify a causal relationship between dizziness and driving ability. There is a need for prospective studies in populations with different vestibular disorders using subjective and objective outcome measures that have been validated to evaluate driving performance.

show abstract

Driving and otolaryngology: do we know the rules?

Cited by 7 publications

References 4 publications

Dizziness and Driving From a Patient Perspective

Dizziness and Driving From a Patient Perspective

Medical record prompts improve the frequency and documentation of dizziness and driving conversations in the ENT balance clinic

Driving ability in patients with dizziness: a systematic review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About