Concerns of driving by patients with mental illness: Awareness, role, and practice of psychiatrists

BACKGROUND: Patients with mental illness have a higher risk of road traffic accidents than others. There is a need for increased awareness about this concern. AIMS: We intended to assess doctors’ awareness of the driving-related guidance and its use in clinical practice. METHODS: It was an online survey using a questionnaire with specific items on awareness of driving-related guidance for psychiatric patients, and confidence in advising patients about the concerns. Views on whether it is psychiatrist’s role to advise patients on driving, and assessment of the driving status in clinical practice were also enquired. The responses were coded on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree). Years of clinical experience, current grade, and subspecialty of psychiatry were checked. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 78 doctors (36 trainees, 28 consultants, and 14 middle-grade and others), with an average of 14.2 ± 11.0 (range of 1–38) years of experience. The majority (62.8%) of doctors were aware of the guidelines; 79.5% reported that it was their job as psychiatrists to advise patients on driving; however, 47.5% were confident to advise patients on driving, and only 50% checked the driving status as part of their routine practice. Compared to other doctors, trainees reported significantly less awareness (P < 0.001), confidence (P < 0.001), and inadequate checking of driving status in clinical practice (P < 0.005). CONCLUSION: There is a need to improve awareness about the driving-related issues in psychiatric patients and to assess and advise patients regarding this in clinical practice.

Citation

Chandra P, Ajay Sundhar R, Fraser A, Kar N. Concerns of driving by patients with mental illness: Awareness, role, and practice of psychiatrists. Odisha Journal of Psychiatry, 21, pp. 112-6.

Type

Journal article

Language

en

Description

© 2025 The Authors, published by Wolters Kluwer-Medknow. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://journals.lww.com/odjp/fulltext/2025/07000/concerns_of_driving_by_patients_with_mental.14.aspx

ISSN

2950-5992

Collections

Faculty of Science and Engineering