Effectiveness of simple interventions to remind eye doctors to educate glaucoma patients about the dangers of driving

Purpose: A clinical audit to establish whether eye doctors achieve the benchmark in reminding glaucoma patients about the dangers of driving. After introducing two simple interventions, a follow-up audit was performed.

Methodology: Initially, we interviewed 85 patients with established glaucoma who underwent Humphrey visual field (HVF) testing and also reviewed their medical notes. We looked for documentation of their driving status, specifically whether those with bilateral visual field (VF) defects recalled being given advice about the dangers of driving and whether this was documented in the notes. After this initial audit, doctors were educated on the availability of guidelines on visual requirements for driving, and reminder adhesive labels were put on the front of medical notes of driving glaucoma patients. A follow-up audit was then performed on 95 different patients.

Results: In the initial audit, none of the patients had their driving status recorded. Only 36% of drivers with bilateral VF defects recalled being advised of the dangers of driving, with no documentation of whether the advice was given to them. Following the interventions, documentation of driving status became 86%. All drivers with bilateral VF defects recalled being advised regarding the dangers of driving, with documentation of the advice being given recorded in 73% of the medical notes.

Conclusion: Eye doctors are inadequately identifying, advising, and documenting the dangers of driving in the medical notes of glaucoma patients with bilateral VF defects. This can be improved with simple interventions, such as the education of doctors and creating reminder labels, for the benefit of our glaucoma patients.