DiFusco Leigh Ann, Solomon Rachel A, Lee Lindsey H, Ward McIntosh C, McDonald Catherine C
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Center for Injury Research Prevention, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Cardiol Young. 2025 Jul;35(7):1388-1393. doi: 10.1017/S1047951125100784. Epub 2025 Jul 14.
The impact of CHD on safe driving for adolescents is currently unknown. A prospective, qualitative descriptive study was conducted among adolescents with CHD to describe perceived barriers, facilitators, and impacts of CHD on safe, independent driving among adolescents.
Twenty-eight adolescents aged 15-19 years with CHD participated in virtual, semi-structured interviews in 2023. Adolescent interview data were analysed with conventional content analysis refined by Theoretical Domains Framework in NVivo software.
Mean participant age was 16.4 ± 0.23 years (57% male). Single ventricle physiology (25%) and septal defects (32%) were prevalent diagnoses among the study population. Most participants (92%) did not have driving restrictions.
Driving as a normal rite of passage for adolescents with CHD; and confident-but curious-about the impacts of CHD on driving. Adolescents felt confident that driving is not impacted by CHD. They were curious about the likelihood of cardiovascular emergencies and related symptoms while driving. Perceived barriers and facilitators to safe, independent driving were like what has been described in published literature among adolescents without CHD.
These findings celebrate the normalcy of driving during adolescence and reveal curiosities about the impacts of stress, anxiety, fatigue, and risks of heart attack and stroke on driving. Adolescents may look to CHD healthcare providers to help them learn about driving. These findings may inform the development of tools to facilitate meaningful conversations with adolescents regarding driving safety as part of the transition to adult CHD care.
冠心病对青少年安全驾驶的影响目前尚不清楚。对患有冠心病的青少年进行了一项前瞻性定性描述性研究，以描述冠心病对青少年安全、独立驾驶的感知障碍、促进因素和影响。
2023年，28名年龄在15 - 19岁的冠心病青少年参加了虚拟的半结构化访谈。青少年访谈数据采用NVivo软件中的理论领域框架改进的常规内容分析法进行分析。
参与者的平均年龄为16.4±0.23岁（57%为男性）。单心室生理状况（25%）和室间隔缺损（32%）是研究人群中常见的诊断。大多数参与者（92%）没有驾驶限制。
驾驶是患有冠心病青少年的正常成人仪式；对冠心病对驾驶的影响充满信心但又好奇。青少年们相信驾驶不受冠心病影响。他们对驾驶时心血管紧急情况及相关症状的可能性感到好奇。安全、独立驾驶的感知障碍和促进因素与未患冠心病青少年的已发表文献中所描述的相似。
这些发现肯定了青少年时期驾驶的正常性，并揭示了对压力、焦虑、疲劳以及心脏病发作和中风风险对驾驶影响的好奇。青少年可能会寻求冠心病医疗服务提供者帮助他们了解驾驶。这些发现可能为开发工具提供信息，以便在向成人冠心病护理过渡过程中，促进与青少年就驾驶安全进行有意义的对话。
