‘Doctor - when can I drive?’ – Advice obstetricians and gynaecologists give on driving after obstetric or gynaecological surgery

Advising patients when to drive after surgery is a common practice which gynaecologists need to do on a regular basis as a part of their duty to patients. We carried out a literature search regarding advice given on driving after gynaecological surgical procedures, and found no study or research on this area. We then carried out a questionnaire survey of 99 gynaecologists in Northern Ireland. We have identified wide variation in clinical practice, and advocate a United Kingdom wide survey and further studies to find out optimum time to drive after different gynaecological surgeries. There is a need for national guidelines on driving after surgery, which would be of great benefit to gynaecologists, patients, motor insurers, police and all other interested parties.