Healthy
Conditions
Brief summary
The prevalence of elder abuse has been reported between 10-15% in international studies. Elder abuse may include both physical, emotional, sexual and financial abuse as well as neglect and it occurs at the hand of both professionals and family members, including adult children and intimate partners. Elder abuse has been associated with psychological ill-health, disability, increased hospitalization, emergency department use and admission to nursing facilities. Elder abuse is however often unknown to health care providers. Older adults are hesitant to disclose abuse and health care providers are often reluctant to ask questions. In this study an interactive educational model for health care professionals about elder abuse will be tested. The model consist of theoretical lectures, brief films showing patient encounters, group discussions and forum play, a form of participatory theater. Both group discussions and forum play will be using case scenarios as a cornerstone. The validated questionnaire REAGERA-P will be used for self-reported measures
Detailed description
Please refer to the uploaded study protocol for a detailed description of the study.
Interventions
OTHEREducation
Training for health care professionals on how to identify and manage cases of elder abuse among their patients
Sponsors
Linkoeping University
Region Jönköping County
Linnaeus University
Kamprad Family Foundation
Medical Research Council of Southeast Sweden
Region Östergötland
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SEQUENTIAL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Non-randomized stepped wedge cluster trial (incomplete design)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Employee at one of the clinics participating in the trial * Work tasks involves direct patient contact, at least part time * Participation at the training sessions
Exclusion criteria
* Only administrative work and no direct patient contact * Not participating at the training session
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change between baseline and follow up concerning asking questions about abuse, as reported in the questionnaire REAGERA-P | Baseline, 6 month follow up, 12 month follow up | Self-report measure of asking older patients about abusive experience. Will be measure both as a dichotomous value (have ever asked questions during the last 6 months) as well as a frequency measure where participants report how often they have asked patients questions about abuse during the last 6 months (on a scale from 0 to 10 or more) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change between baseline and follow up concerning level of awareness of abuse in contact with patients, as reported in the questionnaire REAGERA-P | Baseline, 6 or 12 month follow up (different for different clusters) | Patient case (Vignette) with indicators of abuse and participants self-report if they think they would have asked the patient questions about abuse |
| Change between baseline and follow up concerning awareness of elder abuse and sense of responsibility for identifying victims, as reported in the questionnaire REAGERA-P | Baseline, Immediate post-intervention (number 2), 6 month follow up, 12 month follow up | 1. Self-reported perceived lack of awareness of elder abuse as a barrier toward identifying victims. 2. Self reported sense of responsibility for asking questions about abuse (own responsibility, professions' responsibility, health care services responsibility) |
| Change between baseline and follow up concerning perceived ability to ask questions about abuse, as reported in REAGERA-P | Baseline, Immediate post-intervention, 6 month follow up, 12 month follow up | 1. Self-reported self-efficacy for asking questions about elder abuse. 2. Self-reported cause for concern that asking questions will a) lead to a negative reaction from the patient b) negatively impact the patient-provider relationship |
| Change between baseline and follow up concerning perceived preparedness to manage cases of elder abuse, as reported in REAGERA-P | Baseline, Immediate post-intervention (number 1and 2), 6 months follow up, 12 months follow up | 1. Self-reported self-efficacy for managing cases of elder abuse. 2. Self-reported cause for concern of not being able to offer the patient a good follow up. 3. Self-reported collegial support, i.e., knowing which colleague to ask for help if needed when managing cases of elder abuse. 4. Self-reported knowledge about proper documentation routines 5. Self-reported knowledge about judicial concerns |
| Change between baseline and follow up concerning preparedness at the clinic to care for older adults subjected to abuse, as reported in REAGERA-P | Baseline, 6 months follow up, 12 months follow up | Self-reported evaluation of: 1. Routines for managing cases of elder abuse at the clinic 2. Preparedness at the clinic and in society to care for victims of elder abuse. |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change between baseline and follow up concerning self-reported hesitancy for asking questions about elder abuse, as reported in the questionnaire REAGERA-P | Baseline, 6 month follow up, 12 month follow up | Frequency of respondents reporting that they have suspected cases of elder abuse but refrained from asking questions |
| Degree of changed practice as reported in the questionnaire REAGERA-P | 6 month follow up | Frequency of participants self-reporting that they have changed their working practices as a result of the educational intervention |
| Change between baseline and follow up concerning adequate follow up, as reported in the questionnaire REAGERA-P | Baseline, 6 month follow up, 12 month follow up | Frequency of respondents reporting that identified cases of elder abuse were given adequate follow up |
| Change between baseline and follow up concerning number of elder abuse victims identified at the clinics included in the study, as reported in the medical records | Baseline, 6 month follow up, 12 month follow up | Anonymous data from the medical records counting the number of older patients treated at each clinic that have been identified as victims of abuse during the last 6 months |
Countries
Sweden
Outcome results
None listed