Evaluating three methods to encourage mentally competent older adults to assess their driving behavior.

J Trauma Acute Care Surg

From the Boston University School of Public Health (T.U.-L., A.P., E.L., C.D.), and Departments of Surgery (L.A.B., P.A.B., T.D.), and Emergency Medicine (J.H.), Boston University School of Medicine (V.L.), Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; and Department of Surgery (T.U.-L.), Stanford University, Stanford, California.

Published: July 2015

AI Article Synopsis

  • A significant portion of the U.S. population is aging, with individuals 65 and older projected to make up 20% of the population by 2050, and this group has a notable involvement in traffic fatalities and injuries.
  • A study was conducted with 120 older adults to evaluate the effectiveness of three different interventions aimed at improving their driving knowledge and behaviors after they were admitted to a trauma center.
  • Results showed that older adults experienced positive changes in their driving-related knowledge and behaviors regardless of the type of intervention they received, indicating that educational efforts can be beneficial for this demographic.

Article Abstract

Background: Fourteen percent (43.1 million) of the population in the United States was 65 years and older in 2012. This population is projected to reach 20% (88.5 million) by 2050. Older adults accounted for 17% of all traffic fatalities and 9% of all vehicle occupant injuries in 2012. We explored the effectiveness of three interventions to help older adults assess their current driving behaviors at a Level 1 trauma center.

Methods: During 2010 to 2012, 1,216 inpatients 70 years and older admitted for surgical and medical services were screened for eligibility, and 120 were enrolled. Participants completed a driving assessment and preintervention questionnaires and were subsequently randomized to one of the following interventions: (1) brief negotiated interview plus an educational kit by the American Automobile Association about older driving plus an accompanying list of Web-based resources for older adult drivers; (2) American Automobile Association document and a list of Web-based resources; (3) online referral sheet of the list of Web-based resources only. A 3-month postintervention follow-up questionnaire was administered over the telephone to measure changes in (1) driving-related knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs as well as (2) driving-related behaviors and intended behaviors.

Results: A total of 113 randomized patients were included in the analysis. The mean (SD) age was 76.8 (5.23) years; majority of patients were white (64%), followed by black African American (33%); and 51% were males and 49% were females. Multivariate analysis showed that older adults' driving knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs (p < 0.0001, R = 0.37) as well as behaviors and intentions (p < 0.0001, R = 0.27) toward driving were positively correlated, controlling for other predictors in the model. Intervention assignment did not affect changes in outcomes, although outcomes improved across experimental conditions.

Conclusion: Our pilot study suggests that older adults are likely to make changes in their driving behavior on the basis of minimal hospital-based intervention.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/TA.0000000000000695DOI Listing

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