Success Story: Assessing fitness to drive with the VTS

Initial Situation

Previously, SSR offered patients hospitalized after a neurological injury an assessment of cognitive and motor skills required for driver’s license reinstatement (mandatory for certain conditions). For many patients, however, this assessment did not take place, either because it seemed premature or because the patients were not being cared for in a rehabilitation center.

Project Aim & Challenge

In this context, the idea was born to offer a special program with a multi-professional team, unique in the department of Saône et Loire, which evaluates and manages patients with the aim of having their driving license reinstated by an officially authorized physician. This program is aimed at people in possession of a valid driving license who have been affected by a brain injury (stroke, concussion, etc.), a spinal injury or a disease such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease.

Procedure

The new program is made up of several stages. After a basic medical consultation, patients have an appointment with an occupational therapist.

This is followed by a neuropsychological assessment, which consists of different procedures depending on the cause and severity of the impairment. Concentration, reaction time, selective attention and behavior in risky situations are examined. This assessment helps to evaluate the test person’s cognitive abilities and behavior when resuming driving activities.

The next step is a situational exercise conducted with the occupational therapist and a driving instructor. The selected subtests were chosen to assess different cognitive and behavioral dimensions important for driving, according to the 2016 recommendations of the French Health Authority (HAS).

The VTS software includes subtests, specifically designed for driving fitness: IVPE-R, WRBTV, DT and RT. Other attentional dimensions are assessed with the WAF battery, which limits the implementation of computerized tests to one tool. Automatic generation of standardized tables of results facilitates the interpretation of the patient’s performance.