1 / 6

Study Aims

Prevalence and characteristics of driving difficulties in Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom combat returnees. Henry L. Lew, MD, PhD; Malissa Kraft, PsyD; Terri K. Pogoda, PhD; Melissa M. Amick, PhD; Patricia Woods, RN, MSN; David X. Cifu, MD. Study Aims

teddy
Download Presentation

Study Aims

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Prevalence and characteristics of driving difficulties in Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom combat returnees Henry L. Lew, MD, PhD; Malissa Kraft, PsyD;Terri K. Pogoda, PhD; Melissa M. Amick, PhD; Patricia Woods, RN, MSN; David X. Cifu, MD

  2. Study Aims • Document driving difficulties reported by Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) veterans. • Determine association between driving difficulties and traumatic brain injury (TBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). • Relevance • Motor vehicle crashes are the . . . • Leading cause of military injuries and deaths. • Leading cause of death among recently returned veterans.

  3. Methods • We used a brief driving questionnaire and chart reviews to assess prevalence and characteristics of driving difficulties in 4 OIF/OEF veteran groups: • TBI only. • PTSD only. • TBI + PTSD. • Neither TBI nor PTSD.

  4. Findings Compared with before deployment, 93% of veterans reported more difficulties with driving. Veterans with PTSD (with or without TBI) reported most significant difficulties. Veterans with only TBI reported difficulties similar to veterans with neither diagnosis.

  5. Most Prevalent Driving Difficulties

  6. Conclusions • Postdeployment driving difficulties are real, especially for veterans with PTSD. • Appropriate prevention, assessment, and treatment programs are needed. • e.g., Soldiers may need to be retaught safe, civilian driving skills and anger management upon return. • Issue must be further addressed to help veterans transition safely and smoothly from deployment to home.

More Related