Gun Violence is Every Doctors' Lane: Ways Healthcare Providers Can Protect Public Health
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65539/q21fg944Keywords:
gun violence, public health, firearm safety, physician advocacy, violence preventionAbstract
This viewpoint examines the role of healthcare providers in addressing gun violence as a public health issue. The author describes a personal experience with establishing credibility on gun violence policy and reviews evidence-based interventions including safe storage counseling, violence intervention programs, and extreme risk protection orders. The article argues for the legitimacy of healthcare providers to counsel patients on firearm use and safety.
Downloads
References
Pomerantz, A. "Why Gun Sanctuaries are Dangerous to New Jersey." Editorial. Cape May County Herald. 12 Feb. 2020. https://www.capemaycountyherald.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article_3671ee8e-4d06-11ea-8732-2b4293e3956d.html. Accessed March 24, 2020
Parmet WE, Smith JA, Miler M. Physicians, Firearms, and Free Speech — Overturning Florida's Firearm-Safety Gag Rule. N Engl J Med 2017; 376:1901-1903. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp1702516
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicide rising across the US: More than a mental health concern. CDC Vital Signs. https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/pdf/vs-0618-suicide-H.pdf. Published June 2018. Accessed March 24, 2020.
Butkus R, Doherty R, Bornstein SS, for the Health and Public Policy Committee of the American College of Physicians. Reducing Firearm Injuries and Deaths in the United States: A Position Paper From the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169:704–707. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7326/M18-1530
Wamsley L. After NRA Mocks Doctors, Physicians Reply: 'This Is Our Lane'. NPR. 11 Nov. 2018. https://www.npr.org/2018/11/11/666762890/after-nra-mocks-doctors-physicians-reply-this-is-our-lane. Accessed March 22, 2020.
Carter PM, Walton MA, Roehler DR, et al. Firearm violence among high-risk emergency department youth after an assault injury. Pediatrics. 2015;135(5):805–815. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-3572
Knopov A, Sherman RJ, Raifman JR, Larson E, Siegel MB. Household Gun Ownership and Youth Suicide Rates at the State Level, 2005–2015. Am J Prev Med. 2019;56(3):335-42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2018.10.027
Anglemyer A, Horvath T, Rutherford G. The accessibility of firearms and risk for suicide and homicide victimization among household members: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2014;160:101–110. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7326/M13-1301
Monuteaux MC, Azrael D, Miller M. Association of Increased Safe Household Firearm Storage With Firearm Suicide and Unintentional Death Among US Youths. JAMA Pediatr. 2019;173(7):657–662. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.1078
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 10 Leading Causes of Death by Age Group, United States 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/injury/images/lc-charts/leading_causes_of_death_by_age_group_2018_1100w850h.jpg. Accessed March 24, 2020
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. WISQARS (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System): 2017, United States firearm deaths and rates per 100,000. https://wisqars-viz.cdc.gov:8006. Accessed April 20, 2020.
Barkin SL, Finch SA, Ip EH, et al. Is office-based counseling about media use, timeouts, and firearm storage effective? Results from a cluster-randomized, controlled trial. Pediatrics. 2008;122:e15–e25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2007-2611
Albright TL, Burge SK. Improving firearm storage habits: impact of brief office counseling by family physicians. J Am Board Fam Pract. 2003;16(1):40–46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.16.1.40
Sidman EA, Grossman DC, Koepsell TD, D'Ambrosio L, Britt J, Simpson ES, Rivara FP, Bergman AB. Evaluation of a community-based handgun safe-storage campaign. Pediatrics. 2005; 115(6):654-61. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2004-1625
James TL, Bibi S, Langlois BK, et al. Boston Violence Intervention Advocacy Program: A Qualitative Study of Client Experiences and Perceived Effect. Acad Emerg Med. 2014; 21(7): 742-51. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.12409
GJ Isham, KK Kraemer. Identifying and managing high-risk members: Targeted outpatient management improves outcome. Group Practice J. 2003; 52:1-5
Gondi S, Pomerantz AG, Sacks CA. Extreme Risk Protection Orders: An Opportunity to Improve Gun Violence Prevention Training. Acad Med. 2019;94:1649-1653. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000002935
Brent DA, Baugher M, Birmaher B, Kolko DJ, Bridge J. Compliance with recommendations to remove firearms in families participating in a clinical trial for adolescent depression. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2000; 39:1220–1226. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200010000-00007
Chou R, Dana T, Blazina I, et al. Statin Use for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Adults: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2016 Nov. (Evidence Syntheses, No. 139.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2015.15629
Swanson JW, Norko MA, Lin H, et al. Implementation and effectiveness of Connecticut's risk-based gun removal law: Does it prevent suicides? Law Contemp Probl. 2017;80:179–208.
Kivisto AJ, Phalen PL. Effects of risk-based firearm seizure laws in Connecticut and Indiana on suicide rates, 1981–2015. Psychiatr Serv. 2018;69:855–862. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201700250
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Alexander Pomerantz (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.