| Title | Elder abuse education in residency programs: how well are we doing? | | Author(s) | Wagenaar DB, Rosenbaum R, Page C, Herman S | | Institution | Department of Psychiatry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA. wagenaar@msu.edu | | Source | Acad Med 2009 May; 84(5):611-8. | | Abstract | PURPOSE: To understand whether education is at the heart of underreporting elder abuse by surveying Michigan residency program directors to learn about their elder abuse curricula.
METHOD: In 2006, a questionnaire was mailed to 71 residency program directors in Michigan. Participants responded to closed-ended or Likert-type items about program demographics, elder abuse curricula, desire for additional related program materials, and related clinical experience.
RESULTS: Results are based on 41 usable responses, for a response rate of 58%. Elder abuse education played a major role in residency curricula in more than a third of all programs (15/41). Of the 31 programs that had elder abuse lectures, 77% (24/31) required attendance at lectures. Sixty-one percent (25/41) expressed a need to learn more about screening tools, and more than half (23/41) did not use a screening assessment tool in their clinical care. Of desired additional materials, respondents most frequently requested screening tools at 63.4% (26/41). With elder abuse reporting, 61% (25/41) rated their experience with Adult Protective Services (APS) as "poor." Those curricula with the most elder abuse content topics experienced a more positive relationship with APS than those with fewer.
CONCLUSIONS: Elder abuse education is not a consistent or highly prioritized topic in many primary care residency programs. Standardized educational goals and clinical experiences would help educate residents. Many participants voiced a need for additional educational materials, especially around screening, suggesting that future research should focus on the development of valid reliable elder abuse screening tools or protocols specific to medical settings. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
| | PubMed ID | 19704194 |
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