‘Drive Safe’ initiatives: An analysis of improvements in mental health practices (2005

Abstract

Statement of context

Driving can be important for enabling community participation. Mental illness and its treatment may disrupt fitness to drive, or people’s opportunities for learning to drive. This paper reflects on practice improvements in an Australian mental health organization.

Critical reflection on practice

Occupational therapists identified gaps in knowledge among the multi-disciplinary workforce about service users’ driver status, how to identify and manage driving issues, and how to support their beginning or resuming driving during recovery.

Implications for practice

The key initiatives: policy and practice guidelines, workforce training, driver assessment and consultation services, and service user information resources — have become embedded supports within the organization for promoting safe driving.

Keywords

Driving mental illness service improvement

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Austroads (2012) (2012) Assessing Fitness to Drive Commercial and Private Vehicle Drivers: Medical Standards for Licensing and Clinical Management Guidelines, 4th ed. Sydney, Australia: Austroads.

Bradshaw

Di Stefano

Catchpole

(2013) Dementia and Driving. Research Report No. 13/01, Melbourne, Australia: Royal Automobile Club of Victoria.

Curwen

Jebreel

(2012) Advice on driving while under the care of a crisis resolution team: Findings from two audits. The Psychiatrist 36: 424–426.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (2013) (2013) At a Glance Guide to the Current Medical Standards of Fitness to Drive, Swansea: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Lawrie

Milne

(1994) Mental disorder and driving. Psychiatric Bulletin 18: 214–216.

Ménard

Korner-Bitensky

(2008) Fitness-to-drive in persons with psychiatric disorders and those using psychotropic medications. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health 24(1): 47–64.

Ménard

Benoit

Boulé-Laghzali

(2012) Occupational therapists’ perceptions of their role in the screening and assessment of the driving capacity of people with mental illnesses. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health 28(1): 36–50.

Orr

Elworthy

TSE

(2008) Audit of advice on driving following hospitalisation for an acute psychotic episode. Psychiatric Bulletin 32: 106–107.

Rouleau

Mazer

Ménard

(2010) A survey on driving in clients with mental health disorders. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health 26(1): 85–95.

10.

Rowse J (2010) Changing knowledge and practice: mental health service delivery and consumer fitness to drive. PhD Thesis, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia.

11.

Sheridan

(2012) Assessing fitness to drive in dementia and other psychiatric conditions: A higher training learning opportunity at a driver assessment centre. The Psychiatrist 36: 113–116.

12.

Townsend EA and Polatajko HJ (eds) (2007) Enabling Occupation II: Advancing an Occupational Therapy Vision for Health, Well-being and Justice through Occupation. Ottawa, ON: CAOT Publications ACE.

13.

Unsworth

(2007) Development and current status of occupational therapy driver assessment and rehabilitation in Victoria, Australia. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal 54: 153–156.

14.

Unsworth

(2010) Issues surrounding driving and driver assessment for people with mental health problems. Mental Health Occupational Therapy 15(2): 41–44.

‘Drive Safe’ initiatives: An analysis of improvements in mental health practices (2005–2013) to support safe driving

Abstract

Statement of context

Critical reflection on practice

Implications for practice

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References