Abstract
Importance: Resuming driving after a change in functional ability is challenging for patients with a neurological condition. Although a combination of assessment tools has been suggested for use in driving evaluation, resources and availability of tools have been a problem.
Objective: To examine the predictive ability of two commonly used tools, the Motor-Free Visual Perception Test (MVPT) and the Trail Making Test, Parts A and B (TMTA and TMTB), on on-road driving performance.
Design: Retrospective chart review of 82 patient charts between 2015 and 2016.
Setting: Local rehabilitation hospital.
Participants: Eighty-two patients with a primary neurological diagnosis (general neurological condition, n = 13; spinal cord injury, n = 11; stroke, n = 58).
Outcomes and Measures: MVPT, TMTA, and TMTB.
Results: Among the patients, 36 passed and 46 failed the on-road evaluation. The TMTA and TMTB scores were significantly different between those who passed or failed the on-road evaluation. Logistic regression analyses revealed that the TMTB completion time was the only significant predictor of on-road driving performance (for the all-patient model, 66% prediction accuracy, −2 log-likelihood [LL] = 93.47, exp β = 0.98; for the stroke-only model, 76% prediction accuracy, −2LL = 59.61, exp β = 0.97).
Conclusions and Relevance: Our findings suggest that the TMTB is a better predictor of on-road driving performance for patients with a neurological condition than the MVPT. The findings shed light on the importance of selecting proper tools when assessing driving performance. Future prospective studies with a wider array of predictive variables are recommended to support the present findings.
What This Article Adds: Occupational therapists should revisit the use of the MVPT in driving assessment and consider multiple assessment tools when evaluating and predicting driving performance.
