Screening for elder mistreatment in emergency departments: current progress and recommendations for next steps

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Emergency Departments (EDs) present a missed opportunity for elder mistreatment identification.
• Existing screening tools are rarely ED-specific or validated for this setting.
• Challenges include integrating screening into busy ED workflows and managing positive results.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the potential of EDs for elder mistreatment screening.
• To discuss barriers and propose solutions for implementing screening in EDs.
• To recommend future research and implementation strategies.

Main Methods:

• Review of current practices and challenges in ED elder mistreatment screening.
• Discussion of the role of Electronic Health Records (EHR) in facilitating screening.
• Proposal of a two-step screening process and implementation research.

Main Results:

• Few validated screening tools exist specifically for EDs.
• EHR systems can support screening compliance and monitoring.
• A multi-faceted approach is needed, including tool development, implementation research, and protocol creation.

Conclusions:

• EDs are a critical, underutilized setting for elder mistreatment identification.
• Validated, brief screening tools integrated into EHRs are essential.
• Further research and development of ED-specific interventions and referral pathways are recommended.