Using a driving simulator to improve driving awareness in stroke survivors: a pilot study

Abstract

Many stroke survivors wish to resume driving post-stroke to regain their independence. However, stroke often affects driving awareness, including awareness of one’s own driving abilities. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is any evidence that a driving simulator can improve driving awareness in stroke survivors, as no known causal studies have determined this. A case study methodology was used for this research, and we performed a set of experiments in which participants were provided with three hours of exposure to a driving simulator. We then used objective measures to compare their driving awareness prior to and following the exposure in order to determine whether any improvements had occurred. The results of this pilot study suggest that there may be a causal link between driving simulator exposure and increase in driving awareness in stroke survivors.

Keywords: DriveAware, DriveSafe, Driving Ability, Rehabilitation, Stroke