Massachusetts Medical Society team is chosen by AMA for Older Drivers Project

Four-member team of Massachusetts Medical Society picked by American Medical Association for leadership position on public health issue of older driver safety.

Waltham, MA (PRWEB) August 17, 2003 --- A team of physicians and health care professionals sponsored by the Massachusetts Medical Society has been selected by the American Medical Association to participate in its Older Drivers Project, a new program aimed at the public health issue of older driver safety. The Massachusetts team is one of only five chosen from across the country.

The four-member team will take part in a comprehensive two-day training program in Chicago at AMA headquarters, to enhance their understanding of the public health aspects of the older driver and to enable them to identify, assess, and manage medically at-risk drivers. After completing the program, the team will conduct its own local workshops, to train other Massachusetts physicians and health care professionals, with support and materials from the AMA.

The selection of our team speaks well of our members and the Medical Society," said Thomas E. Sullivan, M.D., president of the Massachusetts Medical Society. The issue of the older driver and safety, highlighted by recent tragedies, is one that will only become more significant as our population ages. Physicians are especially well positioned to make a contribution in this area, and we are proud that the Medical Society will be taking the lead in Massachusetts on this important public health issue."

The Massachusetts team members include Elizabeth A. Roaf, M.D., and Joanne Boule, both of Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital, Worcester; and Mangadhara R. Madineedi, M.D., and Robert A. Smith, both of the Veterans Administration Boston Healthcare System, Brockton Division.

Dr. Roaf, the team leader, is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation, internal medicine and spinal cord injury medicine. She also specializes in geriatric rehabilitation. She is a past chairman and a current member of the Societys Committee on Geriatrics and chaired the Societys Working Group on Impaired Drivers. She is also an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedics and Physical Rehabilitation at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Dr. Madineedi is board certified in both internal and geriatric medicine and is also a member of the Societys Committee on Geriatrics. An Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, he is currently Service Line Manager, Geriatrics and Extended Care Line, at the VA Boston Healthcare System in Brockton.

Smith is a staff kinesiotherapist and driver education and training instructor at the VA Boston Healthcare System in Brockton. He is a certified driving education instructor by the state Registry of Motor Vehicles and by the Department of Veterans Affairs of the US Government. He received the Presidential Citation in 2001 from the American Kinesiotherapy Association.

Boule is a senior occupational therapist at Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital, where she was responsible for the development and implementation of the Driving Evaluation Program that includes clinical and road evaluations of patients. She is a Massachusetts Licensed Occupational Therapist in the Allied Health Professions and a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

The AMA created The Older Drivers Project in January 2002 with support from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Joining the Massachusetts team in this new effort will be representatives from West Virginia, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Oregon.

Older drivers have been shown to have a disproportionately high rate of motor vehicle fatalities and are involved in more motor vehicle crashes per mile that any other age group except those under 25. With the high prevalence of medical conditions, treatments and functional impairments that may affect driving in the older population, the AMA believes that physicians and health care professionals can play key roles in the driving safety of this population.

The Older Drivers Project has developed tools and recommendations for physicians to help them identify the medically at-risk driver, evaluate the functional abilities related to driving; locate resources for assessment and rehabilitation; counsel patients on retiring from driving; and navigate the legal and ethical concerns about driving safety.

The Massachusetts Medical Society and the American Medical Association both offer guidebooks for physicians and other health care professionals to further understanding of the issue. Both may be downloaded from the respective organizations websites.

For the Massachusetts Medical Societys Medical Perspectives on Impaired Driving," visit http://www.massmed.org/pages/impaireddrivers.asp.

For the AMAs just-published Physicians Guide to Assessing and Counseling Older Drivers," visit http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/10791.html.

The Massachusetts Medical Society, with 18,000 physicians and student members, is dedicated to educating and advocating for the physicians and patients of Massachusetts. Founded in 1781, the MMS is the oldest continuously operating medical society in the country. The Society owns and publishes The New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal Watch family of professional newsletters, AIDS Clinical Care, and produces HealthNews, a consumer health publication.

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Contact: Richard P. Gulla, 781-434-7101
rgulla@mms.org Page: 877-820-9023