Evaluation of the awareness of the physicians on negligence and abuse of the elderly patients admitted to emergency department

Abstract

InTrodUCTIon: With the increase in the population of the elderly, the negligence and abuse of the elderly (NAE) is increasing at a great pace. Although the rates of NAE in the elderly admitted to emergency department (ED) is more than the estimated rates, the diagnosis and reporting of such cases are extremely rare. The primary aim of the present study is to evaluate the NAE status in the elderly admitted to ED, the awareness in ED physicians, the attitudes towards these cases and the knowledge levels in this field. Methods: An electronic questionnaire form that was used as the data collection tool consisted of 19 questions and 2 sections. To call for participation, the questionnaires used in the study were shared with the ED physicians in an online manner between December 2017 and April 2018. The data were analyzed with the SPSS 23.0 Windows computer program with definitive statistics. rESUlTS: A total of 69.4% of the participants faced NAE and 30% did not report this; 79.8% of the participants stated that they had received training in this field and 9% stated that there was a screening test for the abuse of the elderly. A statistically significant difference was determined between those who received course training in this field and those who received training during medicine faculty education and specialist training. ConClUSIonS: In this study, it was observed that the NAE rates were more than the estimated rates in the elderly admitted to ED. It was understood that ED physicians did not have adequate knowledge in this field. A new curriculum is needed for the training and education in this field.