Although radiologists are highly trained to detect cases of potential child abuse, very few have received either formal or informal instruction in detecting elder abuse.

And while spotting abuse in older people tends to be a much more complicated task, many radiologists express a desire for more training in this area, according to a new study.

“Radiologists are a core part of the medical team in child abuse cases, so why shouldn’t they be a core part of the team in elder abuse?” said Dr. Tony Rosen, study coauthor and emergency physician at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York.