OBJECTIVE Suffering a stroke might lead to permanent cognitive and/or physical impairment. It has been shown that these impairments could have an impact on the individual's fitness to drive. In Sweden, as in many other countries, there are regulations on driving cessation post-stroke. The information on driving cessation should be given to all patients and noted in the journal. The present study sought to find out physician's compliance to driving regulations post-stroke as well as follow-up and gender aspects.
METHOD A retrospective study of medical records on stroke patients was carried out. The study covered all the medical records on stroke incidents (n = 342) during a year at a typical medium to large sized hospital in Sweden.
RESULTS A journal entry on driving cessation post-stroke was missing in 81% of the journals. Only 2% of the patients were scheduled for a follow-up meeting specifically concerning the fitness to drive. Significantly more men than women had an entry on driving in the journal.
CONCLUSIONS We could conclude that the Swedish regulations on driving cessation post-stroke was not followed at the participating hospital. It is however crucial that all stroke patients receive information on driving cessation since their condition might affect the fitness to drive. The analysis of the follow-up records showed that there was no consistent method for the assessment of the patient's fitness to drive. There was also a gender difference in the material which warrants further investigation.