health professionals

Screening and Management of Age-Related Driving Impairments

Training for clinicians and allied health professionals is available to assist with the identification and management of age-related conditions that impact driving ability. This curriculum aims to increase knowledge and skills needed to screen, refer, and when necessary, assist older patients through the transition into driving retirement.

This training addresses California’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan and includes screening guidelines from the Clinician’s Guide to Assessing and Counseling Older Drivers, 4th Edition.

Training curriculum includes:

  • The epidemiology of driving patterns with aging
  • Medical conditions that may put patients at risk for unsafe driving
  • Recommended clinical screens to evaluate patients’ level of function for driving fitness
  • Referral and treatment options for patients who have impairments or are no longer safe to drive
  • California DMV reporting methods and requirements

Training Options 

In-Person or Virtual

This training is available throughout California and is delivered by UC San Diego physician faculty. Email treds@ucsd.edu to request this program for your healthcare organization. 

Video On-Demand

The training can also be accessed online.  The 60-minute tutorial consists of four modules with knowledge checks and the opportunity to print a certificate of completion. After creating an account, select the course title, Clinical Assessment of the Older Patient for Driving Fitness.

For a copy of any of the guides below, or to request a camera-ready pdf for reprinting, contact us at TREDS.

Screening and Management of Age-Related Driving Impairments 

This is a reference tool that provides a brief summary of who to screen and how to report drivers with medical conditions that fall within Title 17, CA Code of Regulations, Section 2810.  Also included are resources for providers and driver referral, as well as a listing of tests recommended by the American Geriatrics Society to determine driving fitness.

Medications by Class and Driving Risk

This resource was created to assist clinicians in the management of medications that can affect driving. It highlights ten classes of drugs with potential driving-related side effects. Recommendations include identification of ‘least offending’ and ‘most offending’ medications in each class to guide prescription choices if the patient elects to continue driving.

Cannabis and Driving 

This guide informs health care practitioners about the potential effects of driving under the influence of cannabis for use in discussions with patients. Topics addressed include THC potency, the ‘high’ resulting from edibles compared to inhaling, and legal consequences resulting from a cannabis DUI conviction, whether consumed for medical or recreational purposes.

Graph References:

Curran, V., Brignell, C., Fletcher, S., Middleton, P., & Henry, J. (2002). Cognitive and subjective dose-response effects of acute oral Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in infrequent cannabis users. Psychopharmacology, 164(1), 61-70. doi:10.1007/s00213-002-1169-0

Grotenhermen, F. (2003). Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Cannabinoids. Clinical Pharmacokinetics, 42(4), 327-360. doi:10.2165/00003088-200342040-00003

Medications, Driving and the Law:  A Guide for Healthcare Practitioners

This guide was created in response to the California Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) Aging Road Users Challenge Area, Action Item 2.2:  Educate health professionals, clinicians, and health care organizations on the impact of drugs and supplements on aging drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists through the development of educational materials and a partnership with CDPH’s Prescription Drug Working Group and others.

The 2.2 Action Committee, chaired by the UC San Diego Training, Research and Education for Driving Safety Program with assistance from the California Department of Public Health, Safe and Active Communities Branch, included representation from institutions and professions statewide with an interest in the safety of aging road users.  Sharing this document via websites, newsletters and other electronic platforms can assist health care providers when counseling patients about the impact of medications on roadway safety.

Videos

Phone:

(858) 534-8386

Fax:

(858) 534-9404

Location

UC San Diego Family Medicine and Public Health 9500 Gilman Drive #8011 La Jolla, Ca\A 92093-0811

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