Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-19T16:48:35.614Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effect of an educational intervention on junior doctors’ knowledge and practice in detecting and managing elder abuse

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2012

Claudia Cooper ,
Lauren Huzzey  and
Gill Livingston
Claudia Cooper*
Affiliation:
Mental Health Sciences Unit, University College London, London, UK
Lauren Huzzey
Affiliation:
Mental Health Sciences Unit, University College London, London, UK
Gill Livingston
Affiliation:
Mental Health Sciences Unit, University College London, London, UK
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr. Claudia Cooper, Mental Health Sciences Unit, UCL, Archway Campus, Highgate Hill, London N19 5NL, UK. Phone: +44 0207 288 5931; Fax; +44 0207 288 3411. Email: [email protected].
Get access

Abstract

Background: Elder abuse is often unreported, undetected, and underestimated by professionals. For the first time, we report the effectiveness of an educational elder abuse intervention over three months and its impact on professionals’ practice.

Methods: Forty trainee psychiatrists in two London National Health Service trusts completed the KAMA (Knowledge and Management of Elder Abuse) and CSQ (Caregiver Scenario Questionnaire) measuring knowledge about managing and detecting elder abuse, before and immediately after a brief group education session. We asked how often they considered, asked about, detected, and managed elder abuse and their confidence in doing so, at baseline and three months post-intervention.

Results: Compared with baseline, participants scored higher on the KAMA (paired t = 3.4, p = 0.002), and identified more definitely abusive (t = 3.0, p = 0.003) and possibly abusive (t = 2.1, p = 0.043) items immediately post-intervention. At three-month follow up, 24 (60%) participants reported higher confidence in managing abuse (Wilcoxon signed ranks test z = 3.7, p < 0.001) and considered it more frequently (z = 2.8, p = 0.006), but did not ask older people and their carers about abuse more frequently (z = 1.2, p = 0.24). Two (5%, 95% confidence interval 2%–17%) participants detected abuse in the three months before the intervention, compared with 2 (8%, 2%–26%) in the same period afterward.

Conclusions: This brief educational intervention increased trainee psychiatrists’ knowledge and vigilance for abuse immediately and after three months. They remained reluctant to ask about abuse for reasons including fear of causing offence or harming the therapeutic relationship and being unsure how to ask people with dementia. We postulate that changing doctors’ behavior may require a more complex intervention, focusing on communication skills.

Keywords

trainingvulnerable adultintervention
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 24 , Issue 9 , September 2012 , pp. 1447 - 1453
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Almquist, E., Stein, S., Weiner, A. and Linn, M. W. (1981). Evaluation of continuing-education for long-term care personnel: impact upon attitudes and knowledge. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 29, 117–122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Caciula, I., Livingston, G., Caciula, R. and Cooper, C. (2010). Recognition of elder abuse by home care workers and older people in Romania. International Psychogeriatrics, 22, 403–408.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cooper, C., Selwood, A. and Livingston, G. (2008). The prevalence of elder abuse and neglect: a systematic review. Age and Ageing, 37, 151–160.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cooper, C., Selwood, A. and Livingston, G. (2009). Knowledge, detection and reporting of abuse by health and social care professionals: a systematic review. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 17, 826–838.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Department of Health (2000). No Secrets Guidance on Developing and Implementing Multi-agency Policies and Procedures to Protect Vulnerable Adults from Abuse. London: Department of Health.Google Scholar
Hempton, C. et al. (2011). Contrasting perceptions of health professionals and older people in Australia: what constitutes elder abuse? International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 26, 466–472.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCauley, J., Jenckes, M. W. and McNutt, L. A. (2003). ASSERT: the effectiveness of a continuing medical education video on knowledge and attitudes about interpersonal violence. Academic Medicine, 78, 518–524.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Richardson, B., Kitchen, G. and Livingston, G. (2002). The effect of education on knowledge and management of elder abuse: a randomized controlled trial. Age and Ageing, 31, 335–341.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Richardson, B., Kitchen, G. and Livingston, G. (2003). Developing the KAMA instrument (knowledge and management of abuse). Age and Ageing, 32, 286–291.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Selwood, A., Cooper, C. and Livingston, G. (2007). What is elder abuse – who decides? International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 22, 1009–1012.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sugita, J. A. and Garrett, M. D. (2012). Elder abuse and oral health care providers: an intervention to increase knowledge and self-perceived likelihood to report. Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 24, 50–64.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thompson-McCormick, J., Jones, L., Cooper, C. and Livingston, G. (2009). Medical students’ recognition of elder abuse. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 24, 770–777.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed