Multicenter Validation of an Emergency Department-Based Screening Tool to Identify Elder Abuse.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Emergency department (ED) visits provide an important opportunity for elder abuse identification. Our objective was to assess the accuracy of the ED Senior Abuse Identification (ED Senior AID) tool for the identification of elder abuse. METHODS: We conducted a study of the ED Senior AID tool in 3 US EDs. Participants were English-speaking patients 65 years old and older who provided consent or for whom a legally authorized representative provided consent. Research nurses administered the screening tool, which includes a brief mental status assessment, questions about elder abuse, and a physical examination for patients who lack the ability to report abuse or for whom the presence or absence of abuse was uncertain. The reference standard was based on the majority opinion of a longitudinal, expert, all data (LEAD) panel following review and discussion of medical records, clinical social worker notes, and a structured social and behavioral evaluation. For the reference standard, LEAD panel members were blinded to the results of the screening tool. RESULTS: Of 916 enrolled patients, 33 (3.6%) screened positive for elder abuse. The LEAD panel reviewed 125 cases: all 33 with positive screen results and a 10% random sample of negative screen results. Of these, the panel identified 17 cases as positive for elder abuse, including 16 of the 33 cases that screened positive. The ED Senior AID tool had a sensitivity of 94.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 71.3% to 99.9%) and specificity of 84.3% (95% CI 76.0% to 90.6%). CONCLUSION: This multicenter study found the ED Senior AID tool to have a high sensitivity and specificity as a screening tool for elder abuse, albeit with wide CIs.

Evaluation of a shared decision-making intervention for pediatric patients with asthma in the emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a difficult-to-manage chronic disease marked with associated outcome disparities including an increase rate of emergency department (ED) visits for uncontrolled asthma among patients who are most at-risk. Shared decision making (SDM) is a process by which the patient and provider jointly make a healthcare choice. SDM improves patient outcomes; however, implementation barriers of time constraints and staff availability are limitations. The use of health IT solutions may increase the adoption of SDM, but best practices for implementation are not well understood. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) is a flexible comprehensive model used to identify barriers and facilitators influencing implementation. The goal of this study is to implement an innovative web-based pediatric SDM tool in the real-world setting of two large healthcare system EDs through the following aims: (1) convene a patient, research, and ED stakeholder advisory board to oversee review of protocol and study materials prior to implementation, (2) implement the SDM intervention where providers and staff will be trained to incorporate use of this SDM intervention, (3) conduct on-going evaluation of barriers, facilitators, and implementation outcomes to tailor implementation in the EDs, (4) evaluate patient-centered outcomes of primary care utilization and changes in ED visits and hospitalizations before and after the SDM intervention, and (5) understand and document best practices for ED implementation. METHODS: The CFIR model will guide the implementation evaluation. Researchers will administer surveys to the clinical team and patients at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months to inform implementation design, determine barriers and facilitators, and resource-needs to allow for real-time process adjustments within the EDs. Focus group or key-informant interviews and analysis will provide additional feedback to the stakeholder team to iterate the implementation process. Researchers will track patient-centered outcomes including increased primary care, ED, and inpatient utilization over the duration of the study. DISCUSSION: To advance asthma care and the field of implementation science, further research is needed to assess best practices for incorporating SDM into high-need healthcare settings such as the ED. This knowledge will facilitate improved outcomes and appropriate policy changes towards further use of SDM interventions in local and national acute care settings.

What If a Resident or Medical Student Is Raped? Hospitals' and Academic Medical Centers' Title IX Obligations.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects medical students and residents from all forms of sexual discrimination, including sexual harassment and assault. Hospitals that train residents as well as medical students must follow Title IX mandates, including investigating and addressing all reports of sexual discrimination, harassment, or violence. While these processes can help eliminate potential barriers to women in medical training, the pressure to participate in an internal investigation can discourage some medical students and residents from seeking help. Hospitals should work closely with university Title IX officials to design and implement effective policies and procedures to both prevent and address all types of sexual discrimination as well as to support trainees who have been victimized.