Knowledge, Attitudes, Detection, and Reporting Practices of Elder Abuse among Orthopedists
2Orthopedic B Department, Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, Israel
The aim of the present study is to explore the influence of the knowledge and attitudes of orthopedists` in detecting and reporting elder abuse. In this cross-sectional study, 145 orthopedists completed a questionnaire. The orthopedists had a medium level of knowledge and held positive attitudes on the detection and reporting of elder abuse, but the actual number of cases they detected and reported was low. Senior orthopedists had the highest level of knowledge and also the most positive attitudes. Common reasons for unwillingness to report cases of elder abuse differed between levels of training. Jewish orthopedists detected more cases of elder abuse than did Arab orthopedists. Higher knowledge and more positive attitudes were found associated with a higher number of detected and reported cases of elder abuse.The importance of training orthopedists on the detection and management of elder abuse cannot be overemphasized.