Increasing Staff Knowledge and Confidence in Detecting Elder Abuse and Education on the Elder Abuse Screening Index Tool in a Primary Care Clinic

Date of Conferral

11-1-2023

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Dr. Mark Wells

Abstract

The low report levels of elder abuse (EA) among primary care clinic staff may be attributed to their lack of knowledge and training in detecting such cases. This practice gap needs to be addressed to support seniors and reduce hospitalization, injuries, and healthcare expenditures. The aim of this project was to determine whether an educational module for primary care clinic staff could increase their knowledge of the different types of elder abuse and the Elder Abuse Suspicion Index tool. The project used Watson's human caring theory and focused on the physical and psychosocial aspects of caring for elderly patients. Evidence was collected from peer-reviewed journals, government publications, and evidence-based practice guidelines using CINAHL, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and PubMed. Once Walden's ethics board approved the proposal, an educational intervention was conducted at the project site, and a convenience sampling method was used to gather data from pretest and posttest questionnaires. In addition, demographic information was collected to evaluate the intervention's effectiveness in increasing staff knowledge of detecting EA in a primary care setting. There was a 24% increase in staff's knowledge and confidence after the educational session. Recommendations after the intervention included additional educational sessions to educate 100% of the primary care staff. Additionally, the educational materials provided during the session would be integrated into new staff orientation and refresher courses annually

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