Driving after cerebral damage: a model with implications for evaluation.

Evaluation of the ability of cerebrally injured patients to return to driving is an important task for rehabilitation specialists. These evaluations require predictively valid methods of assessment based on identification of relevant skills and abilities. The present study tested a hypothetical model for driving after cerebral injury and determined its use in evaluating fitness to drive. Thirty-five patients with cerebral damage due to head injury or cerebrovascular accident participated in the study. All were administered (a) a predriver evaluation, that is, a battery of neuropsychological tests chosen a priori to test the model, (b) a simulator evaluation, and (c) a behind-the-wheel evaluation consisting of driving on a protected course and in traffic. The results showed that 93% of the driving outcome in traffic was explained cumulatively by findings from the predriver and simulator evaluations as well as from behavioral and operational measures during evaluation on the protected lot. These results supported the predictive validity of the model and are discussed in terms of methodology for evaluation of return to driving.

[1]  J. Guilford.  Fundamental statistics in psychology and education , 1943 .

[2]  Joseph Zubin,et al.  Fundamental statistics in psychology and education , 1943 .

[3]  P. Osterrieth.  Le test de copie d'une figure complexe , 1944 .

[4]  E. Renzi,et al.  The token test: A sensitive test to detect receptive disturbances in aphasics. , 1962, Brain : a journal of neurology.

[5]  S. D. Porteus.  Porteus Maze Test: Fifty Years Application , 1965 .

[6]  G. Foulds.  Porteus maze tests , 1967 .

[7]  J. Bardach.  Psychological factors in the handicapped driver. , 1971, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[8]  W. L. Mihal,et al.  Individual differences in perceptual information processing and their relation to automobile accident involvement. , 1976, The Journal of applied psychology.

[9]  G D Gurgold,et al.  Assessing the driving potential of the handicapped. , 1978, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

[10]  Handicapped driving an overview of assessment and training , 1980 .

[11]  P. L. Olson,et al.  Driving and perceptual/cognitive skills: behavioral consequences of brain damage. , 1981, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[12]  J. Delisa,et al.  Assessing the driving potential of cerebral vascular accident patients. , 1983, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

[13]  R Jones,et al.  Assessment and training of brain-damaged drivers. , 1983, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

[14]  A. V. Zomeren,et al.  Residual complaints of patients two years after severe head injury. , 1985 .

[15]  B. Frier,et al.  Driving after stroke. , 1986, Lancet.

[16]  W H Brouwer,et al.  Acquired brain damage and driving: a review. , 1987, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[17]  Richard D. Jones,et al.  The Value of off-Road Tests in the Assessment of Driving Potential of Unlicensed Disabled People , 1987 .

[18]  J. A. Rothengatter,et al.  Fitness to drive a car after recovery from severe head injury. , 1988, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[19]  McKay Moore Sohlberg,et al.  Introduction to cognitive rehabilitation , 1989 .

[20]  T. Galski,et al.  An assessment of measures to predict the outcome of driving evaluations in patients with cerebral damage. , 1990, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.