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A simulated driving evaluation for patients with Alzheimer's disease

Joel S. Gross, MD, FACP

MedWise Center, affiliated with Jersey Shore Medical Center, The Medical Center of Ocean County and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Jersey

A prospective study concerning the driving ability of 41 patients with the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) was performed. Using a simulated driving test we evaluated the predictive value of the MMSE,'⁴ ADL,5-⁷ and IADL&⁹ to determine the ability of a person with Alzheimer's disease to drive. All patients were driving at the time of the evaluation.

There was no correlation between driving performance and functional status evaluated by ADL and IADL. When comparing driving performance with cognitive evaluation by MMSE, a significant number of patients with MMSE c 22failed the test, compared to patients with MMSE > 22 (P = 0.01, Fisher's exact test).

No patient with a MMSE < 20 passed the driving test. The authors recommend that health care professionals who are caring for people with Alzheimer's disease with a MMSE of22 or less should request a driving evaluation.

American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias®, Vol. 11, No. 3, 2-7 (1996)
DOI: 10.1177/153331759601100301


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