A national survey to describe cognitive fitness-to-drive assessment in Switzerland

Introduction: Driving is an important aspect of day-to-day life for many people, enabling access to social participation that would not otherwise be possible (Strogatz et al., 2020). Driving cessation has detrimental impacts on well-being and participation, in addition to self-esteem and risk of depression (Choi et al., 2014; Dickerson et al., 2019; Pellichero et al., 2020). Loss of cognitive abilities is the main reason physicians recommend driving cessation (Sebo et al. 2018). However, it is not clear how the decision about fitness-to-drive is reached in Switzerland Aim: The occupational therapy department of the UAS of Western Switzerland is leading a project on cognitive fitness-to-drive assessment to a) describe the state of practice regarding assessment process, b) provide guidelines for implementing the assessment process, and c) formulate recommendations for Switzerland. Methods: We developed a national survey in collaboration with physicians, neuropsychologists, traffic psychologists, occupational therapists, driving instructors, departments of motor vehicles lawyers, rehabilitation centers, and automobile clubs of Switzerland. The survey investigates what services regarding fitness-to-drive are provided and by whom. Results and discussion: It is the first time that all actors are coming together to clarify fitness-to-drive assessment. We present the process used to develop the survey and the challenges.