Impact of New Guidelines and Educational Program on Awareness of Medical Fitness to Drive Among General Practitioners in Ireland

Objective: To investigate changes in attitudes, resources, and practices of general practitioners (GPs) toward evaluating medical fitness to drive (MFTD) following the publication of national guidelines and an extensive educational programme in traffic medicine. Method: Postal questionnaire survey to GPs (n = 1,000) in November 2013. Results: The final response rate was 46%. GPs are confident (57%) or very confident (14%) in assessing MFTD. There is a high awareness of the new Irish guidelines, with 86% of GPs using them for assistance in assessing MFTD. GPs are divided as to whether GPs (49%) or practitioners specially trained to assess MFTD (44%) should be primarily responsible for assessing MFTD. GPs expressed interest in traffic medicine educational programs, most notably a resource pack for continuous medical education (CME) Small Group learning (87%), MFTD software (71%), and an online moodle (68%). Many (68%) remain concerned about their liability in regard to MFTD assessments. Conclusion: Irish GPs are confident in assessing MFTD and show a high level of awareness of the new guidelines. There is a clear interest among GPs in further educational supports and training in traffic medicine, particularly MFTD assessments.