MENTAL IMPAIRMENT AND DRIVING LICENSES FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE - A SURVEY AMONG NORWEGIAN GENERAL-PRACTITIONERS

Objective - Study how GPs assess mental function when a health certifi cate for elderly drivers has to be issued. Design - Postal questionnai re survey. Setting - Nationwide survey. Subjects - Random sample of 53 2 Norwegian general practitioners, response rate 54%. Main outcome mea sures - Open and closed questions. Results - Various types of examinat ions and assessments are carried out in this context. More than 50% al ways assess mental function. Only 22% use formal mental tests, mostly when in doubt. The assessment of elderly patients for a health certifi cate for driving is regarded by many as a difficult,problem. Conclusio n - There is a lack of uniformity in issuing a health certificate to e lderly drivers, a low use of formal cognitive testing, and problems fa cing GPs in this context. More concrete guidelines and a formal second -line system would facilitate an objective assessment and could also a lleviate the burden on the doctor.