General practitioners' opinions and attitudes towards medical assessment of fitness to drive of older adults in Ireland

Objective: The study sought to assess opinions and attitudes of general practitioners (GPs) in Ireland towards fitness to drive (FTD) assessment in people older than 65 years old as well as to gather information on current assessment practices. Method: A postal-based cross-sectional survey was carried out with 603 GP practices randomly selected using the Irish College of General Practitioners database. Results: Response rate was 42.6%. The prevalence of GPs not confident in assessing FTD was less than 15% with 81% reporting the need for more education on assessing FTD, and 82% identifying that mandatory reporting of unsafe drivers posed a conflict of interest. Only 37% of GPs always/often used the Irish Road Safety Authority handbook when assessing FTD with 14% not aware of its existence. Of responders, 89% were of the opinion that a clinical assessment tool would be of benefit in assessing FTD. Conclusion: Our study highlights the need for education and training for Irish GPs on FTD assessment in the older people patient population.