Next Article in Journal
Canadian Trends in Liver Cancer: A Brief Clinical and Epidemiologic Overview
Previous Article in Journal
PYNK : Breast Cancer Program for Young Women
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Current Oncology
Volume 20
Issue 1
10.3747/co.20.1198
curroncol-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles thumb_up
...
Endorse textsms
...
Comment
Current Oncology is published by MDPI from Volume 28 Issue 1 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher in Open Access under a CC-BY (or CC-BY-NC-ND) licence, and they are hosted by MDPI on mdpi.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Multimed Inc..
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Multidisciplinary Assessment of Fitness to Drive in Brain Tumour Patients in Southwestern Ontario: A Grey Matter

by
E. Chan
1,
A.V. Louie
1,2,
M. Hanna
1,
G.S. Bauman
1,2,
B.J. Fisher
1,2,
D.A. Palma
1,2,
G.B. Rodrigues
1,2,3,
A. Sathya
4 and
D.P. D’Souza
1,2,3,*
1
Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
2
Department of Radiation Oncology, London Regional Cancer Program, London, ON, Canada
3
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Western University, London, ON, Canada
4
Richard Ivey School of Business, Western University, London, ON, Canada
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Curr. Oncol. 2013, 20(1), 4-12; https://doi.org/10.3747/co.20.1198
Submission received: 7 January 2013 / Revised: 9 January 2013 / Accepted: 10 January 2013 / Published: 1 February 2013

Abstract

Background: Neurocognitive impairments from brain tumours may interfere with the ability to drive safely. In 9 of 13 Canadian provinces and territories, physicians have a legal obligation to report patients who may be medically unfit to drive. To complicate matters, brain tumour patients are managed by a multidisciplinary team; the physician most responsible to make the report of unfitness is often not apparent. The objective of the present study was to determine the attitudes and reporting practices of physicians caring for these patients. Methods: A 17-question survey distributed to physicians managing brain tumour patients elicited: (1) Respondent demographics; (2) Knowledge about legislative requirements; (3) Experience of reporting Barriers and attitudes to reporting. Fisher exact tests were performed to assess differences in responses between family physicians (fps) and specialists. Results: Of 467 physicians sent surveys, 194 responded (42%), among whom 81 (42%) were specialists and 113 (58%) were fps. Compared with the specialists, the fps were significantly less comfortable with reporting, less likely to consider reporting, less likely to have patients inquire about driving, and less likely to discuss driving implications. A lack of tools, concern for the patient–physician relationship, and a desire to preserve patient quality of life were the most commonly cited barriers in determining medical fitness of patients to drive. Conclusions: Legal requirements to report medically unfit drivers put physicians in the difficult position of balancing patient autonomy and public safety. More comprehensive and definitive guidelines would be helpful in assisting physicians with this public health issue.
Keywords: driving; brain tumour; Canadian health system; guidelines driving; brain tumour; Canadian health system; guidelines

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Chan, E.; Louie, A.V.; Hanna, M.; Bauman, G.S.; Fisher, B.J.; Palma, D.A.; Rodrigues, G.B.; Sathya, A.; D’Souza, D.P. Multidisciplinary Assessment of Fitness to Drive in Brain Tumour Patients in Southwestern Ontario: A Grey Matter. Curr. Oncol. 2013, 20, 4-12. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.20.1198

AMA Style

Chan E, Louie AV, Hanna M, Bauman GS, Fisher BJ, Palma DA, Rodrigues GB, Sathya A, D’Souza DP. Multidisciplinary Assessment of Fitness to Drive in Brain Tumour Patients in Southwestern Ontario: A Grey Matter. Current Oncology. 2013; 20(1):4-12. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.20.1198

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chan, E., A.V. Louie, M. Hanna, G.S. Bauman, B.J. Fisher, D.A. Palma, G.B. Rodrigues, A. Sathya, and D.P. D’Souza. 2013. "Multidisciplinary Assessment of Fitness to Drive in Brain Tumour Patients in Southwestern Ontario: A Grey Matter" Current Oncology 20, no. 1: 4-12. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.20.1198

APA Style

Chan, E., Louie, A. V., Hanna, M., Bauman, G. S., Fisher, B. J., Palma, D. A., Rodrigues, G. B., Sathya, A., & D’Souza, D. P. (2013). Multidisciplinary Assessment of Fitness to Drive in Brain Tumour Patients in Southwestern Ontario: A Grey Matter. Current Oncology, 20(1), 4-12. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.20.1198

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop