Keeping Older Adult Drivers Safe: An Initiative To Increase Safety Screening In Primary Care

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Deborah M. Wittenborn (Creator)

Institution

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )

Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Advisor

Rebecca Kalinoski

Abstract: Background: With the growing older adult population, and increased prevalence of driving longer, safety is an important consideration. Changes commonly experienced by seniors impact driving ability and the economic burden is great. Older adult drivers are more likely to sustain serious injuries when involved in motor vehicle collisions. Primary care providers face several barriers preventing consistent safety screening of licensed older adults. Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement initiative is to increase safety screenings by primary care providers of senior drivers in an outpatient setting. The project aimed to increase primary care providers’ knowledge of older adult safe driving screenings with use of an efficient tool. Methods: Implementation of the project took place over two months. The data collection included the number of completed screening tools compared to the number of patients over age 65 seen in the practice during implementation. Pre- and post-implementation surveys were administered to three providers. Results: Thirty-five of 408 patients completed the safety screening tool. Providers expressed a favorable opinion of the tool with an average rating of 4.05 out of 5. There was a slight increase in discussions about driving safety.Conclusion and Recommendations: Assessment, with the incorporation of provider education, acknowledging the barriers, and a driving safety screening tool, increased the early identification of older adults with safety concerns. An early driving screening process opens the line of communication for primary care providers to prepare older adults for driving retirement. Continued use of the screening tool in a larger practice can determine efficacy.

Keeping Older Adult Drivers Safe: An Initiative To Increase Safety Screening In Primary Care
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Created on 1/11/2014
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Additional Information

Publication

Other

Language: English

Date: 2023

Keywords

safety screening in elderly drivers, elderly, aged, geriatric driving, fitness to drive in the elderly, driving cessation impact on the elderly, physician attitudes and elderly drivers, screening elderly drivers in primary care

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