Determining Possible Professionals and Respective Roles and Responsibilities for a Model Comprehensive Elder Abuse...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Elder abuse presents complex functional, social, forensic, and medical challenges.
• Effective interventions require a multidisciplinary approach to address these multifaceted needs.
• Hospital-based nurse examiner programs can play a crucial role in elder abuse detection and response.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a comprehensive hospital-based nurse examiner elder abuse intervention.
• To determine the essential participating professionals and their roles within the intervention model.
• To identify key collaborators needed for addressing the complex needs of abused older adults.

Main Methods:

• A modified Delphi methodology was employed, combining systematic literature reviews with expert panel consensus.
• Professionals and their roles were generated from scholarly and grey literature.
• An expert panel rated items for importance using a 5-point Likert scale in-person and online.

Main Results:

• Twenty-two professionals and 192 roles/responsibilities were retained for the model intervention.
• Highly rated professionals included public guardian and trustee, geriatrician, and police officer.
• Other key professionals comprised GEM (geriatric emergency management) nurses and social workers, community health workers, and family physicians.

Conclusions:

• A large, diverse group of multidisciplinary and intersectoral collaborators is essential for effective elder abuse intervention.
• Each professional group has critical roles and responsibilities in a comprehensive elder abuse program.
• The study identified key personnel crucial for a model elder abuse intervention addressing complex patient needs.