Albany Med unveils simulator to assess patient fitness to drive
— Sara Huss, M.D., assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation
ALBANY, N.Y. » Albany Medical Center has introduced a state-ofthe-art driving simulator to evaluate the driving ability of older individuals as well as survivors of stroke and traumatic injury.
The simulator borrows from video game technology and presents a range of different driving conditions, such as fog and darkness, as well as the unpredictable presence of pedestrians and deer on the road.
The simulator’s seat and center console are identical to those in a compact General Motors car, complete with lighted dashboard, warning lights, and air-conditioning vents, and the system is also equipped to accommodate patients in wheelchairs.
“Patients who may have anxiety about returning to the road can feel safe and secure in this virtual environment,” occupational therapist Linda Farrell, manager of inpatient occupational therapy, physical therapy, and the Driver Rehab Program said.
Farrell explained the evaluations conducted using the Virage VS500M-R Clinical Driving Simulator can help determine treatment plans, reacquaint those who have been waylaid by illness or injury with driving, and, when appropriate, help patients return to the road.
Drivers are surrounded by three large screens that give an immersive 180-degree “road” view. Various terrains are presented in colorful, vivid detail—mountain driving, freeway driving, country roads and city streets—and these settings can be adjusted to patients’ individual medical needs and the routes they normally drive in their daily lives.
Upon receiving a referral, a patient will then receive an intensive clinical assessment, evaluating his or her overall physical condition, trunk control, cognition, visual acuity, visual perception and sensation, and the functional ability to complete activities of daily living and the instrumental activities of daily living. Upon completion of the assessment, it will be determined if the patient is able to proceed to the virtual assessment.
The evaluation is conducted by a driver rehab specialist who presents the patient with a lifelike, panoramic landscape to “drivethrough,” while computer technology aides the specialist in assessment of cognition, reaction speed, attention, vision, and motor control.
“This is a very powerful tool we can use to assess functional losses and, when appropriate, rehabilitate drivers to get back on the road,” Sara Huss, M.D., assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation explained.
“Of course, the safety the system offers is tremendously beneficial, as well,” Huss added.
Farrell and occupational therapist Carrie Meher are Albany Med’s driver rehabilitation specialists. There are currently only 12 certified driver rehab specialists in New York state and less than 1,000 in the U.S. and Canada. Farrell and Meher are providing evaluations and treatment, if necessary, for patients on Albany Med’s Main Campus.
A referral from a physician or nurse practitioner is required. For more information, one may call (518) 262-3291.
“This is a very powerful tool we can use to assess functional losses and, when appropriate, rehabilitate drivers to get back on the road.”