Many consequences of an illness or an accident that are treated in the form of basic medical practice consequences concerned can either be directly caused by the illness or accident, or result from the ensuing treatment. A physician providing basic medical care is therefore often confronted with traffic medicine issues. Moreover, most Swiss cantons have charged general practitioners with carrying out the legally prescribed regular check-ups for motorists aged over 70. General practitioners thus assume the role of medical examiner for these bi-annual check-ups. This paper discusses basic aspects in connection with general practitioners' evaluation of a person's aptitude for driving and with frequent traffic medicine issues dealt with in basic medical practice. Special emphasis is placed on best practice in the regular check-ups for over 70-year-old motorists. (Author/publisher)
Abstract