A comparison of three measures of elder abuse.
OBJECTIVE
To present a comparison of three measures for assessing elder abuse.


METHODS
Three measures for assessing elder abuse were identified through a literature review. The characteristics and uses of each measure were reviewed and evaluated.


RESULTS
The Indicators of Abuse (IOA) is a 22-item tool for discriminating abuse and nonabuse cases; it is completed by a health care professional after a home assessment is conducted. The Elder Abuse and Neglect Assessment (EAI) is a 44-item scale comprised of seven sections to review signs, symptoms, and subjective complaints of elder abuse, neglect, exploitation, and abandonment; it can be used by health care providers in all clinical settings. The Elder Abuse Screening Test (EAST) is a 15-item tool to be completed by a health care provider based on the patient's responses. This screening tool is limited because of the small unrepresentative samples used to test it, the low internal consistency, and a relatively high false-negative rate.


CONCLUSIONS
An instrument to accurately assess elder abuse in long-term care is needed. Proper identification of elder abuse is the first step in assisting victims in dealing with abusive situations.
Meeks-Sjostrom
Diana
D
Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USA. sjomee@earthlink.net
D000368:Aged; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D004552:Elder Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D011594:Psychometrics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*