Improving the management of driving behaviour in individuals with chronic pain

Aims:

The aim of this study is to better understand driving challenges for individuals with chronic pain. 

Type of volunteers needed:

• Adults over the age of 18 years old who hold a valid Australian driver licence;

• Currently driving at least three times a week in Australia and owns a smartphone.

• Have persistent non-cancer pain for at least three months;

• Have not been diagnosed with a condition affecting the vestibular, central nervous system, or visual acuity.

• Able to read and write English

What is involved?

Participation involves three phases.

Phase 1: Complete an anonymous online survey about your demographics, driving experience, driving behaviour, and type of pain that would take approximately 30 minutes.

Phase 2: Complete an online driving hazard perception/prediction test face-to-face at RECOVER Injury Research Centre at the University of Queensland OR via videoconference software such as Zoom depending on your preference which could take approximately 30 minutes. During the test, you will see a number of video-based clips of real-world driving scenes. When you watch the video clip you need to imagine you are the driver and predict the traffic conflict.

Phase 3: Log your daily pain & driving, medication intake i.e. the purpose of your trip, self-reported near-crash events (avoid a crash at the last moment). Each logbook entry could take approximately 10 minutes to complete. This Phase requires you to install a free mobile app on your smartphone (compatible with iOS and Android), which will send you a notification on your smartphone to fill in the scheduled logbook entry. Please note the app does NOT record any information about your location or driving.

What’s in it for me?

You will receive a $100 e-gift voucher at completion of the three parts as a thank you for participating in the study. We cannot guarantee or promise that you will receive any additional benefits from this research; however, possible benefits may include improving the management of chronic pain and driving, and providing recommendations and interventions to ensure the safety of drivers with chronic pain as well as potential benefits in terms of public education for drivers in Australia.

How can I volunteer or find out more?

Please contact Dr Atiyeh Vaezipour on (07) 3346 4824, or email: a.vaezipour@uq.edu.au.