On-road driving remediation following acquired brain injury: a scoping review

Background Return to independent driving is an important goal following acquired brain injury which may be explored through driving rehabilitation. Whilst on-road driving remediation often form the basis for rehabilitation, the efficacy of such intervention is uncertain. Aims To describe current evidence regarding the use of on-road driving remediation to facilitate return to independent driving following acquired brain injury and define gaps in research. Methods CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE (OVID), PsycInfo and Scopus were the primary information sources searched 8th and 29th January 2020 using the Joanna Briggs Institute protocol for scoping review. Results Searching identified 904 studies, after 442 duplicates were eliminated, 462 studies screened. Title and abstract screening revealed 447 irrelevant studies with 13 full-text studies assessed for eligibility. Six studies [cohort studies (n=4) and case report (n=2)] were selected for data extraction. c Conclusions Emerging evidence indicates a level of support for the use of on-road driving remediation as a rehabilitation tool following acquired brain injury. Further research is required to define which goals are suited to on-road remediation as a return to driving intervention and explore the capacity of participants to sustain any gains made through on-road driving remediation at follow-up.

Automated summary

This article aims to describe the current evidence regarding the use of on-road driving remediation to facilitate return to independent driving following acquired brain injury and define gaps in research. The study found emerging evidence to support the use of on-road driving remediation as a rehabilitation tool, but further research is needed to determine which goals are suitable as driving rehabilitation interventions.