Validation of a screening battery to predict driving fitness in people with Parkinson's disease

Hannes Devos, Wim Vandenberghe, Alice Nieuwboer, Mark Tant, Willy De Weerdt, Jeffrey D. Dawson, Ergun Y. Uc

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

27 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: We previously developed a short clinical battery, consisting of contrast sensitivity, Clinical Dementia Rating, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-motor section (UPDRS III), and disease duration, which correctly classified 90% of drivers with Parkinson's Disease (PD). The aim of this study was to validate that screening battery in a different sample of PD drivers. Methods: Sixty drivers with PD were enrolled to validate our original screening battery to predict driving fitness decisions (pass-fail) by a state agency where drivers underwent detailed visual, cognitive, and on-road testing. Results: Twenty-four participants (40%) failed the driving evaluation. The screening battery correctly classified 46 (77%) participants (sensitivity and negative predictive value=96%; specificity and positive predictive value=64%). Adding other clinical predictors (e.g., age of onset, Hoehn-Yahr stage instead of UPDRS III) failed to improve the specificity of the model when the sensitivity was kept constant at 96%. However, a driving simulator evaluation improved the specificity of the model to 94%. Conclusions: The original clinical battery proved to be a valid screening tool that accurately identifies fit drivers with PD and select those who need more detailed testing at specialized centers.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)671-674
Number of pages4
JournalMovement Disorders
Volume28
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 15 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Automobile driving
  • Driving simulator
  • Fitness to drive
  • Parkinson's disease

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Neurology
  • Clinical Neurology

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