As defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), elder abuse is an intentional
act, or failure to act, by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving
an expectation of trust that causes or creates a risk of harm to an older (aged ≥60)
adult [
[1]
]. Forms of elder abuse include physical abuse, sexual abuse or abusive sexual contact,
emotional or psychological abuse, neglect, and financial abuse or exploitation [
[1]
]. All states within the US have a mandatory reporting statute for elder abuse however
states vary with respect to who are considered mandated reporters and what actions
require reporting [
[2]
]. Identification of elder abuse by emergency medical services (EMS) personnel is
of great importance as geriatric patients are four times more likely to be transported
to an emergency department (ED) by ambulance than younger adults [
[3]
]. EMS workers are also the only healthcare providers who routinely enter patients'
homes and are often the first medically-trained personnel to evaluate ill and injured
elderly patients [
[4]
]. The purpose of this study was to survey prehospital EMS personnel in Michigan to
determine their attitudes toward elder abuse and knowledge of mandatory reporting
laws, and to gather information regarding their experience with this problem. A secondary
objective was to compare the attitudes and experiences of EMS personnel to a similar
Michigan survey performed in 1995 [
[4]
].Keywords
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References
- Elder abuse surveillance: uniform definitions and recommended Core data elements for use in elder abuse surveillance, version 1.0. Atlanta (GA): national center for injury prevention and control, centers for disease control and prevention.2016
- Mandatory reporting statutes for elder abuse.http://www.stetson.edu/law/academics/elder/ecpp/media/Mandatory%20Reporting%20Statutes%20for%20Elder%20Abuse%202016.pdf([accessed 12 February 2018])Date: March 2016
- Prehospital management of older patients.in: Nickel C. Bellou A. Conroy S. Geriatric emergency medicine. Cham, Springer2018: 3-16
- To report or not to report: emergency services response to elder abuse.Prehosp Disaster Med. 1995; 10: 96-100
Article Info
Publication History
Published online: February 27, 2018
Accepted:
February 26,
2018
Received:
February 20,
2018
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
