Physicians consider comorbidities, but on-road assessors may not
MONDAY, Feb. 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Comorbidities in Parkinson’s disease patients impact physicians’ fitness-to-drive recommendations, according to a study published online Jan. 25 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Maud Ranchet, Ph.D., from Augusta University in Georgia, and colleagues assessed the effect of comorbidities on fitness-to-drive recommendations made by physicians and on-road driving assessors for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
The researchers found moderate correlations between comorbidity and fitness-to-drive recommendations made by the physicians and the on-road assessors. For physicians, comorbidity was the most important determinant of fitness-to-drive recommendations, but no significant effect of comorbidity was seen for the on-road recommendations. There was agreement between physicians and on-road assessors in nearly two-thirds (46 of 72) of the cases.
“This study indicates the need for an interdisciplinary dialogue between physicians and on-road assessors to reach a comprehensive fitness-to-drive decision,” the authors write.
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