GeriHITSS$: A Brief, Reliable Tool for Identifying Elder Abuse in Clinical Practice

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Gerontology
• Clinical Assessment

Background:

• Elder abuse is a significant public health concern, often underrecognized in clinical settings.
• Existing screening tools may require adaptation for geriatric populations in primary care.
• Early identification of elder abuse is crucial for intervention and support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and assess the reliability of the GeriHITSS$ (Geriatric Health Interpersonal Violence Screening Scale), a six-item questionnaire for identifying elder abuse.
• To adapt the established HITS (Health-related Information Technology Services) screening tool for geriatric populations.
• To evaluate the GeriHITSS$ in identifying physical, emotional, verbal, sexual, and financial abuse among older adults.

Main Methods:

• A pilot reliability study involving 199 primary care patients aged 65 and over.
• Cross-sectional data collection in two Southwestern US family medicine clinics.
• Participants completed the GeriHITSS$ questionnaire assessing various forms of abuse.

Main Results:

• The GeriHITSS$ demonstrated acceptable internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .721).
• Emotional abuse was the most commonly reported form of abuse.
• No significant associations were found between GeriHITSS$ scores and participant sex, race, or age.

Conclusions:

• The GeriHITSS$ is a reliable screening tool for detecting elder abuse in outpatient primary care.
• Routine implementation of the GeriHITSS$ can improve early detection rates.
• Enhanced screening facilitates timely interventions for elder abuse victims.