Physicians often do their most important work in prevention. Yet, few talk with patients and families about firearm injury prevention. Some clinicians may be uncomfortable with the topic having never learned in medical school how to ensure these conversations are accurate, effective, and focused on health.
We are providing free training to address this gap. Your medical school has agreed to participate in this program that provides a 1:1 training session for you with a live facilitator. You will practice counseling patient avatars on firearm-related safety and receive real-time feedback. The background material on this website will help you prepare for your simulation session.
Have questions related to the program?
This program is supported by an award from Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, Inc.
REFERENCE MATERIALS
DOUBLE TAKE
Reducing Harm — Having Conversations about Firearm Storage
This video discusses the importance of health care providers having conversations with patients and their families about firearm safety and storage and recommends ways and scenarios to broach the topic.
REVIEW ARTICLE
Clinical Approaches to the Prevention of Firearm-Related Injury
Firearm-related injuries are an urgent health crisis in the United States, with firearm-related deaths surpassing deaths from motor vehicle crashes in 2017.
DOUBLE TAKE
Trauma-Informed Care in the Face of Firearm Violence
This Double Take video discusses chronic exposure from community violence in terms of its effects on health, its root causes, and how medical providers can better support survivors of violence.
PODCAST
Doctors and Guns - ITT Episode 27
In this podcast episode, parents who have lost children to gun accidents and physicians working for gun safety discuss the number-one killer of U.S. children and what doctors can do about it.
CORRESPONDENCE
Increasing Firearm-Related Deaths among U.S. Black Rural Youths
Mortality among young persons has risen, with firearm-related deaths disproportionately affecting Black youths. Firearm-related deaths now affect Black youths across both rural and urban settings.
FIREARM INJURY PREVENTION QUIZ
QUESTION 1
A 21-year-old man with type 1 diabetes is brought to the emergency department (ED) by his girlfriend after a minor assaultive gunshot wound that is isolated to the right lower extremity. The wound is irrigated with saline, and a simple wound exploration reveals no foreign bodies; a dressing is applied.
During the visit, the patient reports nausea and a dry mouth. His breathing is fast and deep, and his face is flushed. He shares that he usually takes insulin as prescribed, but he ran out a few days ago and has not obtained a refill. Laboratory testing shows a blood glucose level of 426 mg/dL (reference range, <140), a bicarbonate level of 16 mEq/liter (21–30), and a glycated hemoglobin level of 7.1% (4.3–5.6). He is admitted for treatment of mild diabetic ketoacidosis.
During admission, he shares more information about the circumstances of his gunshot wound. He reports that multiple people, including himself, were involved in a fight at a park near his home. Somebody fired a gun, but he is not sure who. No one else was shot, and his girlfriend brought him to the ED. He says that groups of people often fight in the park and that he hears gunshots from his home almost every night, but he cannot afford to move out of his parents’ house.
Which one of the following events is this patient most at risk for in the next 5 years?