Chronic Pain and Driving: Proceed with Caution

This piece comments on a paper by Veldhuijzen et al. that reported the results of a study in which chronic nonmalignant pain patients not taking any psychotropics performed a standardized on-the-road driving test. Their performance was compared to that of a control group matched on several related variables. The researchers found that chronic pain patients had higher scores on a measure of weaving, compared to controls, and the differences were statistically significant. This study is an important first step in examining the effects of chronic pain on driving ability. However, investigators working in this area must proceed with caution when attempting to generalize the results of these findings. Others have shown that pain treated by opioid therapy does not impair driving ability.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/03043959
• Authors:
  • Zacny, James P
• Publication Date: 2006-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References;
• Pagination: pp 6-7
• Serial:
  • Pain
  • Volume: 122
  • Issue Number: 1-2
  • Publisher: Wolters Kluwer
  • ISSN: 0304-3959
  • EISSN: 1872-6623
  • Serial URL: http://journals.lww.com/pain/pages/default.aspx

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Abilities; Automobile drivers; Crash causes; Driving tests; High risk drivers; Human factors; Human factors in crashes; Impaired drivers; Medication; Psychotropic agents
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driving performance; Opioids; Pain
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor; I84: Personal Injuries;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01053738
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 5 2007 3:19PM