DEAR DR. ROACH: My wife’s handicap parking placard expired, and she asked her primary care physician to fill out a renewal application. The new placard was received, followed by a letter from the DMV instructing my wife to return her…
letter from the DMV instructing my wife to return her license within 10 days because a medical professional had deemed it unsafe for her to drive. There was no discussion with my wife about driving.
People are also reading… I have seen the after-visit notes of all the doctors my wife has seen in the last three months. All say that she is doing well. The doctor involved said, in her notes: “She is doing well, no concerns.” She has not had any device implanted to maintain rhythm. Was it unethical to not discuss revoking my wife’s license with her before doing it? — Anon.
There are international guidelines to help clinicians decide whether a person with a history of arrhythmia is safe to drive. In the case of atrial fibrillation, the guidelines are consistent that only if a person is having symptoms or is incapacitated should they stop driving, and they may resume once the symptoms or incapacity is better. From what you tell me, she had no reason for her driving to be restricted.
It is possible that the decision to restrict her driving privileges was done in error, either by her physician or by the DMV. I do feel strongly that her physician should have told her that her driving privileges would be restricted: This would have allowed for some discussion, perhaps with her cardiologists, and would remove the question of whether there was an error.