Wagenaar Deborah B, Rosenbaum Rachel, Page Connie, Herman Sandra
Department of Psychiatry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1020, USA.
J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2010 Dec;110(12):703-11.
while estimates suggest that between 1.4% and 5.4% of older adults experience abuse, only 1 of 14 cases of elder abuse or neglect is ever reported to authorities. It is critical for clinicians to be aware of elder abuse in order to improve primary care.
to understand Michigan primary care physicians' knowledge of and reporting practices for elder abuse, including the type of elder abuse education they received, the nature of their clinical practice, and the barriers that prevent them from reporting elder abuse.
a 17-item survey was mailed to 855 primary care physicians in Michigan in 2 waves between October 2007 and December 2007.
Of the 855 surveys mailed, 222 were returned for a response rate of 26%. The majority of physicians (131 [67%] of 197 physicians) believed that their training about elder abuse was not very adequate or not adequate at all. Physicians with fewer than 10 hours of training were more likely to rate their training as not adequate when compared to those who had more than 10 hours of clinical training (χ(2)=64.340, P<.001). Whether abuse was reported was highly correlated with whether it was suspected (χ(2)=26.195, P<.001). Those physicians who reported receiving formal training on the topic of elder abuse in residency programs and those who reported participating in CME activities while in practice were less likely to identify not recognizing abuse at time of patient visits as a barrier to reporting.
recognizing the subtle signs of elder abuse continues to be a barrier for physicians who treat older adult patients. However, education may improve primary care physicians' ability to detect and recognize elder abuse.
据估计，1.4%至5.4%的老年人遭受过虐待，但每14起虐待或忽视老年人的案件中，只有1起会向当局报告。临床医生了解老年人虐待情况对于改善初级保健至关重要。
了解密歇根州初级保健医生对老年人虐待的认识和报告做法，包括他们接受的老年人虐待教育类型、临床实践性质以及阻碍他们报告老年人虐待的障碍。
2007年10月至2007年12月期间分两波向密歇根州855名初级保健医生邮寄了一份包含17个项目的调查问卷。
在邮寄的855份调查问卷中，有222份被退回，回复率为26%。大多数医生（197名医生中的131名[67%]）认为他们接受的关于老年人虐待的培训不太充分或根本不充分。与接受超过10小时临床培训的医生相比，接受培训少于10小时的医生更有可能认为他们的培训不充分（χ(2)=64.340，P<.001）。是否报告虐待与是否怀疑虐待高度相关（χ(2)=26.195，P<.001）。那些报告在住院医师培训项目中接受过关于老年人虐待主题的正规培训的医生以及那些报告在执业期间参加继续医学教育活动的医生不太可能将在患者就诊时未识别出虐待视为报告的障碍。
识别老年人虐待的细微迹象仍然是治疗老年患者的医生面临的障碍。然而，教育可能会提高初级保健医生发现和识别老年人虐待的能力。
