Returning to driving after stroke: A systematic review of adherence to guidelines and legislation

Introduction This systematic review aimed to determine whether stroke survivors routinely received return-to-driving education in the acute hospital setting prior to discharge home; and if education was provided, were the restrictions in driving guidelines adhered to. Method A systematic search was conducted of PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsychINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, Pedro and OTseeker databases for original research reporting findings on the adherence to return-to-driving legislation and clinical guidelines after stroke, and return-to-driving behaviours in stroke survivors up to 1 month post stroke. Results Three studies met the inclusion criteria and reported on a combined total of 252 stroke survivors living in the United Kingdom. Forty-eight per cent of stroke survivors received education on the 1 month driving restriction. A total of 61.4% of participants waited 1 month prior to returning to driving. Conclusion This review found that there is limited literature available on the management of return to driving following acute stroke but there is evidence that education may not be routinely provided in the acute hospital setting and that many stroke survivors could be returning to driving within the 1 month restriction.