Article

In traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke rehabilitation,
the question of
reintegration of the driver into traffic is faced very often.
Driving is an
important domain and for some patients, return to driving represents a crucial
event for community inclusion. The aim of our study was to examine the utility of
Glasgow Coma Scale within the first 24 h of injury and the Functional
Independence Measure (FIM) at rehabilitation admission for predicting the return
to driving. We included 72 patients after TBI or stroke. Driving outcome was
assessed in terms of being allowed to drive without restrictions as opposed to
failing the test or being allowed to drive with restrictions. We examined two
samples: the TBI patients only and the entire sample including patients after
stroke. The results indicate that for TBI patients, Glasgow Coma Scale and motor
FIM could be predictors of driving outcome; in the entire sample, the
unrestricted driving outcome was also associated with a high score on the FIM
motor scale. Early prediction of return to driving after TBI and stroke is
important for the patients, their families and the rehabilitation teams to set
realistic goals that enable the best possible reintegration after rehabilitation.

Langue : ANGLAIS