U.S. acute care hospital shootings, 2012-2016: A content analysis study

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Public health
• Criminology

Background:

• Healthcare workers face high rates of workplace assaults.
• Firearm incidents in hospitals are a significant safety concern.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize recent hospital shootings to improve prevention and mitigation strategies.
• To analyze patterns in hospital shootings to inform safety protocols.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative content analysis of hospital shooting reports from 2012-2016.
• Data abstraction by two independent investigators, with consensus for discrepancies.
• Statistical comparison of subgroups using chi-square, Fisher's exact, or Kruskal-Wallis tests.

Main Results:

• 88 shootings in 86 hospitals resulted in 121 firearms casualties (54 victims, 67 perpetrators).
• High case fatality rates for both victims (55.6%) and perpetrators (70.1%).
• Common locations included emergency departments (30.3%), patient rooms (21.3%), and parking lots (14.6%).
• Motivations included grudges (19.3%), suicide (15.9%), and mental instability (14.8%).
• Inadvertent discharges were more common with female perpetrators (p=0.03).
• Shootings peaked in summer (p=0.03) and winter (p=0.04).

Conclusions:

• Study findings highlight specific locations and seasonal patterns of hospital shootings.
• These patterns can guide the development of enhanced prevention and mitigation strategies.
• Informing targeted interventions to reduce firearm violence in healthcare settings.