Article

Cognitive tests are used to inform recommendations about the fitness to drive of
people with dementia. The Rookwood Driving Battery (RDB) and Dementia Drivers'
Screening Assessment (DDSA) are neuropsychological batteries designed to assist
in this process. The aim was to assess the concordance between the
classifications (pass/fail) of the RDB and DDSA in individuals with dementia, and
to compare any discordant classifications against on-road driving ability.
Participants were identified by community mental health teams and psychiatrists.
Twenty four participants were recruited. The mean age was 74.1 (SD 8.9) years and
18 (75%) were men. Each participant was assessed on the RDB and DDSA in an order
determined by random allocation. Those with discrepant results also had an
on-road assessment. The agreement between the tests was 54% using a cut-off of >
6 on the RDB, and 75% using the cut-off to > 10 on the RDB. Three participants
with discrepant results agreed to be assessed on the road and all were found to
be safe to drive. The findings suggested that there was poor concurrent validity
between the RDB and DDSA. This raises questions about the choice of assessments
in making clinical recommendations about fitness to drive in people with dementia.

Langue : ANGLAIS