Features of the procedure for assessing the ability to drive a vehicle of drivers previously deprived of their rights for driving a vehicle while intoxicated: a qualitative study

Objective: identification of significant factors influencing the decision of a psychiatrist-narcologist to allow a driver to drive a vehicle (vehicle) during a medical examination related to the restoration of the right to drive a vehicle. Materials and methods. A series of in-depth interviews with psychiatrists and narcologists was conducted to study the existing problems they face when conducting a medical examination of vehicle drivers related to the restoration of the right to drive a vehicle. Results. When conducting an examination of drivers who were previously deprived of their rights for driving a vehicle while intoxicated, psychiatrists and narcologists tend to be subjective. The degree of perceived risk from making a wrong decision based on the results of this procedure is lower in comparison with an erroneous conclusion when obtaining a certificate for a weapon. Despite the possibility of atracting additional resources when assessing the suitability of drivers, psychiatrists and narcologists tend to avoid making decisions on their own and delegate the conclusion to other specialists. The specifics of the organization of this procedure may have a negative impact on the attitude of the examinee to the doctor (the phenomenon of discrediting the status of a doctor). Conclusion. It is necessary to develop additional diagnostic criteria to the current ones, which must be met by a driver “going through” the procedure for restoring a driver’s license. This is primarily applicable in situations where the laboratory diagnostic method gives a negative result, but the patient’s condition, however, raises doubts among the specialist. There is a need to create a unified algorithm for the examination route map if additional diagnostically significant examination of the patient is necessary.