Introduction
Over half of the UK population holds a driver’s licence. Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) guidelines are available for conditions from most specialties. Despite this, no focused training occurs in the undergraduate or postgraduate setting. We evaluate the impact of a teaching programme to improve guideline awareness.
Methods
A 25-point questionnaire was designed using the current DVLA guidelines. Five questions were included for the following fields: neurology, cardiology, drug and alcohol abuse, visual disorders, and respiratory. This was distributed to doctors in training at five hospitals. Four weeks later a single session teaching programme was implemented. The questionnaire was redistributed. Pre- and post-intervention scores were compared using the Wilcoxon rank sum test.
Results
139 pre-teaching and 144 post-teaching questionnaires were completed. Implementation of a single session teaching programme significantly improved knowledge of DVLA guidelines in all five areas explored. Median scores: neurology- pre-teaching 40%, post-teaching 100%, p<0.001; cardiology- 0%, 100%, p<0.001; drug and alcohol misuse- 0%, 100%, p<0.001; visual disorders- 40%, 100%, p<0.001; respiratory disorders- 20%, 100%, p<0.001; and overall- 28%, 92%, p<0.001.
Conclusions
Knowledge of DVLA guidelines amongst our cohort was poor. Implementation of a single session teaching programme can significantly improve guideline knowledge and awareness, serving as a cost-effective intervention.