TY - JOUR
T1 - Driving performance in patients with cancer in the head and neck region
T2 - A pilot study
AU - Yuen, Hon K.
AU - Gillespie, M. Boyd
AU - Barkley, Russell A.
AU - Day, Terry A.
AU - Bandyopadhyay, Dipankar
AU - Sharma, Anand K.
PY - 2007/9
Y1 - 2007/9
N2 - Objective: To investigate actual driving performance in a group of patients with cancer in the head and neck region. Design: A nonrandomized controlled trial. Participants: Ten patients with cancer in the head and neck region participated in a driving evaluation using a virtual reality driving simulator. Driving performance from the simulator and observer ratings on participants' driving behaviors were compared between a group of patients with cancer in the head and neck region and a group of 50 community control subjects. Main Outcome Measures: Average speed, mean brake reaction time, steering variability, the total number of (fatal and nonfatal) collisions during the 12-minute evaluation course on the driving simulator, and the score of the 18-item Simulator Driving Performance Scale. Results: Using Mann-Whitney U tests, the brake reaction time and the steering variability in the cancer group were significantly longer and larger, respectively, than those in the control group (P=.04) and (P=.02). However, no significant differences were found between the 2 groups in the mean rank scores for average speed, total number of collisions, and Simulator Driving Performance Scale (P>.05 for all). Conclusions: This pilot study provides preliminary evidence indicating inferior driving performance in a group of patients with cancer in the head and neck region when compared with a community control group. Further study is needed to investigate factors attributing to the difference.
AB - Objective: To investigate actual driving performance in a group of patients with cancer in the head and neck region. Design: A nonrandomized controlled trial. Participants: Ten patients with cancer in the head and neck region participated in a driving evaluation using a virtual reality driving simulator. Driving performance from the simulator and observer ratings on participants' driving behaviors were compared between a group of patients with cancer in the head and neck region and a group of 50 community control subjects. Main Outcome Measures: Average speed, mean brake reaction time, steering variability, the total number of (fatal and nonfatal) collisions during the 12-minute evaluation course on the driving simulator, and the score of the 18-item Simulator Driving Performance Scale. Results: Using Mann-Whitney U tests, the brake reaction time and the steering variability in the cancer group were significantly longer and larger, respectively, than those in the control group (P=.04) and (P=.02). However, no significant differences were found between the 2 groups in the mean rank scores for average speed, total number of collisions, and Simulator Driving Performance Scale (P>.05 for all). Conclusions: This pilot study provides preliminary evidence indicating inferior driving performance in a group of patients with cancer in the head and neck region when compared with a community control group. Further study is needed to investigate factors attributing to the difference.
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U2 - 10.1001/archotol.133.9.904
DO - 10.1001/archotol.133.9.904
M3 - Article
C2 - 17875857
AN - SCOPUS:34548721111
SN - 0886-4470
VL - 133
SP - 904
EP - 909
JO - Archives of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
JF - Archives of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
IS - 9
ER -
