Savoie Camille, Voyer Philippe, Bouchard Suzanne, Lavallière Martin
Faculty of Nursing Science, Université Laval, 1050 Rue de la Médecine, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada.
Department of Health Sciences, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 555 boulevard de l'Université, Chicoutimi, Québec, G7H 2B1, Canada.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2025 Jul 1;25(1):852. doi: 10.1186/s12913-025-12970-9.
During the aging process, many older adults will see their ability to drive affected, particularly due to the high prevalence of health problems. To this end, healthcare professionals working in primary care are in frequent contact with older drivers at risk and for whom interventions must be undertaken. However, little is known about their role, despite the major implications with legal authorities in assessing fitness to drive and in reporting unsafe drivers, especially in a Quebec setting. The purpose of this study was to describe the role of primary healthcare professionals in road safety.
Within a descriptive qualitative design, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 27 primary healthcare professionals (registered nurses ( = 16), occupational therapists ( = 7), and family physicians ( = 4)). Using an inductive approach, qualitative data was analyzed with the content analysis method.
The road safety role of the primary healthcare professionals interviewed varied between professions, depending on their respective expertise. Furthermore, they work in close collaboration and interdisciplinarity. Their role is divided into two main components, namely screening and assessment of older drivers’ driving abilities, as well as of the support and accompaniment offered to older adults, following the loss of their driver’s license. Their role also differs in terms of legally declaring older drivers fit or not to drive. Some professionals integrate preventive interventions into their practice, aimed either to keep older adults driving as long as possible, or to prepare them to stop driving. Several healthcare professionals reported experiencing challenges, especially during the process of assessing their older patients’ fitness to drive.
This study’s results will help organizations to develop training programs allowing primary healthcare professionals to improve their practice with older drivers and their loved ones.
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-025-12970-9.
在衰老过程中，许多老年人会发现自己的驾驶能力受到影响，尤其是由于健康问题的高发性。为此，从事初级保健工作的医疗专业人员经常接触有风险的老年驾驶员，必须对他们进行干预。然而，尽管在评估驾驶适宜性和报告不安全驾驶员方面对法律当局有重大影响，尤其是在魁北克的背景下，但人们对他们的作用知之甚少。本研究的目的是描述初级保健专业人员在道路安全中的作用。
在描述性定性设计中，对27名初级保健专业人员（注册护士（=16）、职业治疗师（=7）和家庭医生（=4））进行了半结构化访谈。采用归纳法，用内容分析法对定性数据进行分析。
受访的初级保健专业人员在道路安全方面的作用因专业不同而有所差异，这取决于他们各自的专业知识。此外，他们密切合作，跨学科工作。他们的作用分为两个主要部分，即对老年驾驶员驾驶能力的筛查和评估，以及在老年驾驶员失去驾照后为其提供的支持和陪伴。他们在依法宣布老年驾驶员是否适合驾驶方面的作用也有所不同。一些专业人员将预防性干预措施纳入他们的实践中，目的要么是让老年人尽可能长时间地驾驶，要么是让他们为停止驾驶做好准备。几位医疗专业人员报告称遇到了挑战，尤其是在评估老年患者的驾驶适宜性过程中。
本研究结果将有助于各组织制定培训计划，使初级保健专业人员能够改进他们与老年驾驶员及其亲人的工作。
在线版本包含可在10.1186/s12913-025-12970-9获取的补充材料。
