Attitudes of primary care physicians toward older drivers : a Finnish-Swedish comparison.

This work compared Finnish and Swedish primary care physician (PCP) activities, knowledge, and attitudes toward ageing and driving. A mail survey was used to evaluate the effects of the 2 countries' different driver licensing policies. The hypothesis was that the existence of an obligatory medical screening system in Finland would make Finnish PCPs more informed concerning ageing and driving than their Swedish counterparts with no experience with such a system. Results of the survey did not support the hypothesis: Swedish PCPs reported more activities than did their Finnish colleagues. The level of knowledge was similar in both countries, but Finnish PCPs had higher confidence in their diagnostic competence and more restrictive attitudes than did the Swedish PCPs. The existence of an obligatory medical screening system did not make Finnish PCPs more aware of ageing and driving concerns compared to Swedish PCPs, but it may contribute to the Finnish PCPs' unrealistic confidence in their own assessment skills and in the adequacy of the Finnish screening system.