TP9.1.2We must do better - An audit assessing local compliance with NICE Guidelines (2014) on giving patient discharge advice regarding driving following traumatic brain injury

Driving is a complex activity involving the coordination of a number of cognitive and physical skills, which may be impaired after head injury. It is a legal requirement that patients’ inform the licensing authority when they have sustained a head injury. Failure to do so results in possible fines, invalid insurance and prosecution. NICE recommends printed patient advice about driving once discharged following a head injury. Methods A retrospective analysis of all traumatic brain injury admissions under the surgical team over a 6 months was performed. The aim was to identify current practice regarding assisting patients to return to safe driving after head injury. Information related to patient demographics, documented driving status and advice (verbal and written) related to driving, was sought. Descriptive statistics were used to portray the results. Results 56 patients were admitted following a traumatic head injury. The average age was 77 (range of 24 to 94) Patients spent on average 4 days in hospital. Only 2 patients had their driving status documented. These two patients also had a documented occupation dependent on driving. No patients received advice specific to DVLA guidelines. Conclusion This study demonstrates that there is poor compliance with NICE guidelines. Indeed, there is a need for change in our practice. We have a duty of care for our patients and in ensuring the safety of the general public. The main limitation of this study relates to the adequacy of documentation. We provide solutions in order to tackle the findings of this audit.