Objective: To describe the characteristics of PD patients assessed at a Driving Mobility Centre and investigate factors that predict driving assessment outcome.

Background: To guide decision making about driving ability, some patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) undergo specialist driving assessment. However, decisions about driving safety in most patients need to be made without this definitive test. There is no consensus on what predicts unsafe driving in PD, nor a validated prediction tool to guide clinician decision making and the need to refer for further assessment.

Method: Retrospective cohort study of PD patients assessed between 2012-2016. Descriptive analyses and logistic models to determine factors predicting a negative outcome.

Results: There were 86 assessments of PD patients. The mean age was 70 years (9.2), 86% were male, median disease duration 7 years (Inter Quartile Range 5-12.5 years) and 59% were referred by the DVLA. 62% had a negative “Not Drive” outcome. The Rookwood Driving Battery (RDB), depth of vision deficit, usual driving frequency, age, duration license held and response time were all predictors in univariable analysis.The RDB was the best predictor of assessment failure, conditional on other variables in a backward stepwise model (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.05, 1.60, p=0.015).

Conclusion: This is the first study to describe PD patients undergoing driving assessments in the UK. In this population, RDB performance was the best predictor of outcome. Future prospective studies are required to better determine predictors of driving ability, to guide development of prediction tools for implementation into clinical practice.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/driving-in-parkinsons-disease-a-retrospective-study-of-driving-and-mobility-assessments/