Outpatient Locations - Division Physical & Occupational Therapy ::

Outpatient Locations

Driving Program

Locations:

Duke Health Center at Lenox Baker

A very important part of an individual’s return to independence following an injury, illness or accident is the ability to return to driving with safety.

The Driving Program offers two avenues for exploring the driving process: Clinical Driving Evaluation and Driving Preparation.

The Clinical Driving Evaluation will assist in identifying potential safety factors related to various components of the driving process, as well as identify factors which may impact driving abilities.
The Driving Preparation component is designed to assist the participant in increasing safety awareness and identifying adaptive equipment needs and resources for driving more independently.

Clinical Driving Evaluation

The Clinical Driving Evaluation is used to assess various components of the driving process. All testing is done within the clinic, and takes approximately two to three hours to complete.

What is evaluated?

Visual acuity
Visual perceptual skills
Night vision and glare recovery
Memory/cognitive skills
Safety/judgment skills
Understanding of traffic signs
Understanding of on the road regulations
Physical functioning
Eye-foot and eye-hand reaction time speed
Adaptive equipment needs

Driving Preparation

A variety of practical components of the driving process are reviewed to encourage safe and independent driving. All review is done within the clinic setting, and the amount of time varies according to the needs of the individual.

What is reviewed?

The Driving Preparation component may include the following, as needed:

Understanding of traffic violations
Understanding of on-the-road regulations
Exercise program to enhance physical performance
Safety and judgment intervention
Adaptive equipment needs for basic driving abilities and increased safety
Provision of specialized equipment information and purchase resources

Referrals for behind the wheel, on the road driving evaluations are made as needed to a local Driving School agency. All on-road driving evaluations are performed by a state certified driving instructor.

General Information

Participants are seen at the Lenox Baker Hospital, located one mile west of Duke Hospital at 3000 Erwin Road, Durham, NC. This facility offers free parking with easy access to the Occupational Therapy Treatment area.

Participation in the Driving Preparation and the Driving Evaluation programs require a physician’s referral for Occupational Therapy which may be faxed in advance, or brought to the initial appointment.

All clinical evaluations are performed by a licensed Occupational Therapist.

For additional Information, please contact:

Adult Outpatient OT services

phone (919) 668-3988

fax (919) 681-5555

To schedule an appointment, please contact the Appointments Desk at (919) 684-2445.