Dwarakanath, A, Twiddy, M, Ghosh, D et al. (3 more authors) (2014) Variability in clinicians' opinions regarding fitness to drive in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS). Thorax. ISSN 0040-6376
Abstract
We evaluated clinicians' current practice for giving advice to patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. Clinicians were invited to complete a web-based survey and indicate the advice they would give to patients in a number of scenarios about driving; they were also asked what they considered to be residual drowsiness and adequate compliance following CPAP treatment. In the least contentious scenario, 94% of clinicians would allow driving; in the most contentious a patient had a 50% chance of being allowed to drive. Following treatment with CPAP, clinicians' interpretation of what constituted residual drowsiness was inconsistent. In each vignette the same clinician was more likely to say 'yes' to 'excessive' than to 'irresistible' (71%±12% vs 42%±10%, p=0.0045). There was also a lack of consensus regarding 'adequate CPAP compliance'; 'yes' responses ranged from 13% to 64%. There is a need for clearer guidance; a recent update to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency guidance, and a statement from the British Thoracic Society, making it clear that sleepiness while driving is the key issue, may help.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | (c) 2014, BMJ Publishing Group. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Thorax. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Sleep apnoea |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Medicine (Leeds) > Leeds Institute of Health Sciences (Leeds) > Centre for Health Services Research (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 12 Mar 2015 11:00 |
Last Modified: | 18 Jan 2018 04:00 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/thoraxjnl-2014-206180 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | BMJ Publishing Group |
Identification Number: | 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2014-206180 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:83299 |