Driving decisions after critical illness: Qualitative analysis of patient-provider reviews during ICU recovery clinic assessments.
Valerie Danesh, Anthony D McDonald, Joanne McPeake and 5 others
PMID 37531701WHAT IT FOUND
When ICU recovery providers asked survivors about driving, patients and care partners described self-imposed restrictions, shorter trips, cessation, anxiety, and safety worries.
Providers started driving talk with a question about current driving.
Key findings
01Driving status discussions covered full return, self-regulated cessation, and reinitiation after critical illness.
026 (38%) described driving modifications and 8 (50%) reported driving cessation at the assessment.
03Most driving safety concerns were patient-reported, and participants used self-restricted driving, ride-alongs, practice sessions, and shorter trips.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The analysis came from one ICU recovery site in the United States, so it may not reflect other clinics or countries. The sample was small, and the authors said the data did not reach saturation, so other driving concerns may not have appeared. Black and Hispanic individuals were underrepresented, so the findings may not apply equally across groups. Participants had to have a device with connectivity and met the parent trial's inclusion criteria, which excluded hospice at discharge, pre-existing severe dementia, severe substance use, and acute neurologic injury. Driving was not part of the original data collection plan, and two of 17 visits had no driving discussion. The transcripts excluded gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, and other nonverbal cues.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing financial interests or personal relationships.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that asking about driving or referring for driving assessment improves safety or independence. This was a small qualitative analysis of conversations at one site, not a trial of an intervention, and it did not measure collisions or objective driving status.