Development, concurrent validity and internal consistency of a simulator tool for assessing continued car driving after a brain injury/disease

Introduction Beyond relevant cognitive tests, a simulated driving activity could be useful to observe performance and behaviour in a standardized ‘driving-like’ situation and provide information on attention, reaction time and information processing speed when evaluating the ability to continue driving after a brain injury or disease. The aim was to develop and evaluate concurrent validity and internal consistency of a computerized simulated driving task tool. Methods Results from a new tool (CyberSiM, including three subtests and four result variables) were compared with results from the Trail Making Test, Useful Field of View test and Nordic Stroke Driver Screening Assessment. There were 126 healthy adults included in the study. Results The correlation analysis showed significant correlations (p<0.001) for CyberSiM reaction time and all cognitive tests except for Useful Field of View 1. The CyberSiM showed good internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha=0.85. Conclusion The analysis of concurrent validity showed conformity to most cognitive tests. CyberSiM might be a useful complement to cognitive testing with the opportunity to observe some behaviours ‘in a driving-like activity’. Further studies on clinical groups are needed to confirm its usefulness.

[1]  Nadina B. Lincoln,et al.  Validation of a cognitive assessment: predicting driving performance after stroke , 1992 .

[2]  David Salisbury,et al.  UFOV performance and driving ability following traumatic brain injury , 2006, Brain injury.

[3]  Torbjörn Falkmer,et al.  A Swedish survey of occupational therapists’ involvement and performance in driving assessments , 2007, Scandinavian journal of occupational therapy.

[4]  Karlene K Ball,et al.  The useful field of view test: normative data for older adults. , 2006, Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists.

[5]  Frank Molnar,et al.  Systematic review of the evidence for Trails B cut-off scores in assessing fitness-to-drive , 2013, Canadian geriatrics journal : CGJ.

[6]  N. Lincoln,et al.  Stroke Drivers Screening Assessment , 2015 .

[7]  David Shinar,et al.  Review of Models of Driver Behaviour and Development of a Unified Driver Behaviour Model for Driving in Safety Critical Situations , 2011 .

[8]  K. Samuelsson,et al.  Driving after an injury or disease affecting the brain: an analysis of clinical data , 2018 .

[9]  G. Naglie,et al.  A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of On-Road Simulator and Cognitive Driving Assessment in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment. , 2016, Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD.

[10]  Maria T Schultheis,et al.  Driving After Traumatic Brain Injury: Evaluation and Rehabilitation Interventions , 2014, Current Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Reports.

[11]  D. Roth,et al.  Cumulative Meta-analysis of the Relationship Between Useful Field of View and Driving Performance in Older Adults: Current and Future Implications , 2005, Optometry and vision science : official publication of the American Academy of Optometry.

[12]  T. Tombaugh.  Trail Making Test A and B: normative data stratified by age and education. , 2004, Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists.

[13]  Patrice Mangin,et al.  The trail making test as a screening instrument for driving performance in older drivers; a translational research , 2014, BMC Geriatrics.

[14]  M. Van der Linden,et al.  Prediction of Driving Capacity After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review , 2012, The Journal of head trauma rehabilitation.

[15]  Gayla M. Cissell,et al.  Can High‐Risk Older Drivers Be Identified Through Performance‐Based Measures in a Department of Motor Vehicles Setting? , 2006, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[16]  L. Hakamies‐Blomqvist,et al.  The assessment of fitness to drive after a stroke: the Nordic Stroke Driver Screening Assessment. , 2003, Scandinavian journal of psychology.

[17]  K. Ball,et al.  Visual attention problems as a predictor of vehicle crashes in older drivers. , 1993, Investigative ophthalmology & visual science.

[18]  Choi Seong-Youl,et al.  Cognitive test to forecast unsafe driving in older drivers: meta-analysis. , 2014, NeuroRehabilitation.

[19]  Jean-François Dartigues,et al.  Driving Cessation and Self-Reported Car Crashes in Older Drivers: The Impact of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in a Population-Based Study , 2008, Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology.

[20]  Karlene K. Ball,et al.  Predicting Driving Performance in Older Adults with the Useful Field of View Test: A Meta-Analysis , 2017 .

[21]  F. Barceló,et al.  Construct validity of the Trail Making Test: Role of task-switching, working memory, inhibition/interference control, and visuomotor abilities , 2009, Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

[22]  T. Falkmer,et al.  The Nordic Stroke Driver Screening Assessment as predictor for the outcome of an on-road test , 2010 .

[23]  Johnell O Brooks,et al.  Simulator sickness during driving simulation studies. , 2010, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[24]  P. McKenna,et al.  On the road again: assessing driving ability in patients with neurological conditions , 2017, Practical Neurology.

[25]  Malcolm Man-Son-Hing,et al.  Predictors of Driving Ability Following Stroke: A Systematic Review , 2007, Topics in stroke rehabilitation.

[26]  J. Mathias,et al.  Cognitive predictors of unsafe driving in older drivers: a meta-analysis , 2009, International Psychogeriatrics.

[27]  C. Unsworth,et al.  Revision of the Competency Standards for Occupational Therapy Driver Assessors: An overview of the evidence for the inclusion of cognitive and perceptual assessments within fitness‐to‐drive evaluations , 2017, Australian occupational therapy journal.

[28]  Kruti D. Patel.  Neuropsychological Factors Associated with Useful Field of View , 2014 .

[29]  M. Mukaka,et al.  Statistics corner: A guide to appropriate use of correlation coefficient in medical research. , 2012, Malawi medical journal : the journal of Medical Association of Malawi.

[30]  Despina Stavrinos,et al.  Predicting Motor Vehicle Collisions in a Driving Simulator in Young Adults Using the Useful Field of View Assessment , 2015, Traffic injury prevention.