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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05065281

Responding to Elder Abuse in GERiAtric Care: Educational Intervention

The prevalence of elder abuse has been reported between 10-15% in international studies. Elder abuse may include both physical, emotional, sexual and financial abuse as well as neglect and it occurs at the hand of both professionals and family members, including adult children and intimate partners. Elder abuse has been associated with psychological ill-health, disability, increased hospitalization, emergency department use and admission to nursing facilities. Elder abuse is however often unknown to health care providers. Older adults are hesitant to disclose abuse and health care providers are often reluctant to ask questions.

In this study an interactive educational model for health care professionals about elder abuse will be tested. The model consist of theoretical lectures, brief films showing patient encounters, group discussions and forum play, a form of participatory theater. Both group discussions and forum play will be using case scenarios as a cornerstone.

The validated questionnaire REAGERA-P will be used for self-reported measures

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Key information

Conditions

Healthy

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Region Jönköpings län, Eksjö, Sweden

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About this study

Please refer to the uploaded study protocol for a detailed description of the study.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Employee at one of the clinics participating in the trial
  • Work tasks involves direct patient contact, at least part time
  • Participation at the training sessions

Exclusion criteria

  • Only administrative work and no direct patient contact
  • Not participating at the training session

Treatment and study plan

Education

Other

Training for health care professionals on how to identify and manage cases of elder abuse among their patients

Primary outcomes

  1. Change between baseline and follow up concerning asking questions about abuse, as reported in the questionnaire REAGERA-P

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 month follow up, 12 month follow up

    Self-report measure of asking older patients about abusive experience. Will be measure both as a dichotomous value (have ever asked questions during the last 6 months) as well as a frequency measure where participants report how often they have asked patients questions about abuse during the last 6 months (on a scale from 0 to 10 or more)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change between baseline and follow up concerning awareness of elder abuse and sense of responsibility for identifying victims, as reported in the questionnaire REAGERA-P

    Time frame: Baseline, Immediate post-intervention (number 2), 6 month follow up, 12 month follow up

    • Self-reported perceived lack of awareness of elder abuse as a barrier toward identifying victims.
    • Self reported sense of responsibility for asking questions about abuse (own responsibility, professions' responsibility, health care services responsibility)

  2. Change between baseline and follow up concerning level of awareness of abuse in contact with patients, as reported in the questionnaire REAGERA-P

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 or 12 month follow up (different for different clusters)

    Patient case ("Vignette") with indicators of abuse and participants self-report if they think they would have asked the patient questions about abuse

  3. Change between baseline and follow up concerning perceived ability to ask questions about abuse, as reported in REAGERA-P

    Time frame: Baseline, Immediate post-intervention, 6 month follow up, 12 month follow up

    • Self-reported self-efficacy for asking questions about elder abuse.
    • Self-reported cause for concern that asking questions will a) lead to a negative reaction from the patient b) negatively impact the patient-provider relationship

  4. Change between baseline and follow up concerning perceived preparedness to manage cases of elder abuse, as reported in REAGERA-P

    Time frame: Baseline, Immediate post-intervention (number 1and 2), 6 months follow up, 12 months follow up

    • Self-reported self-efficacy for managing cases of elder abuse.
    • Self-reported cause for concern of not being able to offer the patient a good follow up.
    • Self-reported collegial support, i.e., knowing which colleague to ask for help if needed when managing cases of elder abuse.
    • Self-reported knowledge about proper documentation routines
    • Self-reported knowledge about judicial concerns

  5. Change between baseline and follow up concerning preparedness at the clinic to care for older adults subjected to abuse, as reported in REAGERA-P

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 months follow up, 12 months follow up

    Self-reported evaluation of:

    • Routines for managing cases of elder abuse at the clinic
    • Preparedness at the clinic and in society to care for victims of elder abuse.

Other outcomes

  1. Change between baseline and follow up concerning number of elder abuse victims identified at the clinics included in the study, as reported in the medical records

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 month follow up, 12 month follow up

    Anonymous data from the medical records counting the number of older patients treated at each clinic that have been identified as victims of abuse during the last 6 months

  2. Change between baseline and follow up concerning adequate follow up, as reported in the questionnaire REAGERA-P

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 month follow up, 12 month follow up

    Frequency of respondents reporting that identified cases of elder abuse were given adequate follow up

  3. Change between baseline and follow up concerning self-reported hesitancy for asking questions about elder abuse, as reported in the questionnaire REAGERA-P

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 month follow up, 12 month follow up

    Frequency of respondents reporting that they have suspected cases of elder abuse but refrained from asking questions

  4. Degree of changed practice as reported in the questionnaire REAGERA-P

    Time frame: 6 month follow up

    Frequency of participants self-reporting that they have changed their working practices as a result of the educational intervention

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Region Östergötland

Other

Collaborators

  • Kamprad Family Foundation
  • Linkoeping University
  • Linnaeus University
  • Medical Research Council of Southeast Sweden
  • Region Jönköping County

Registry information

Official study title

Responding to Elder Abuse in GERiAtric Care Educational Intervention for Healthcare Providers: a Non-randomised Stepped Wedge Trial.

Acronym: REAGERA edu

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Oct 4, 2021
Registry last updated
Dec 18, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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