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The intersection between firearm injury prevention and surgical practice: A qualitative study
Shelbie D Waddle1, Ana M Reyes, Arielle Thomas
1From the Department of Trauma (S.D.W., A.T., B.T.C.), American College of Surgeons, Chicago, IL; Department of Surgery (S.D.W., A.T., J.K.J., A.M.S.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL; Department of Surgery (A.M.R.), University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL; Department of Surgery (A.T.), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI; Department of Emergency Medicine (M.E.B.), University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO; VA Eastern Colorado Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (M.E.B.), Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, Aurora, CO; Department of Emergency Medicine (R.R.), University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI; Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (A.E.), Chicago, IL; Northwestern University (A.J.), Chicago, IL; Department of Surgery (M.C.), Department of Surgery, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH; and Department of Pediatric Surgery (B.T.C.), Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, CT.
Firearm-owning surgeons see a role in injury prevention but face challenges. Tailored approaches are needed, considering patient context and surgeon credibility for effective firearm safety counseling.
Area of Science:
- Trauma Surgery
- Public Health
- Firearm Injury Prevention
Background:
- Surgeons find counseling trauma patients on firearm safety challenging.
- Understanding firearm-owning surgeons' views on injury prevention is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore firearm-owning surgeons' perspectives on their role in firearm injury prevention.
- To identify barriers and facilitators to firearm safety counseling in clinical practice.
Main Methods:
- 1:1 virtual interviews conducted with 32 firearm-owning surgeons (fellows of the American College of Surgeons).
- Participants treated patients with firearm injuries and were recruited via ACS Committee on Trauma listserv.
- The Integrated Behavior Model guided inductive and deductive coding to identify themes.
Main Results:
- Surgeons believe they have a role in prevention but fear harming patient relationships.
- Advocacy for firearm injury prevention should be non-politicized.
- Resources, environment, patient context, and surgeon credibility influence safety discussions.
- Comfort levels varied based on injury type (accidental/self-inflicted vs. assault).
Conclusions:
- Most firearm-owning surgeons support clinical firearm injury prevention but require tailored strategies.
- Key considerations include messenger credibility, injury intent, and local context.
- Further research is needed to optimize firearm safety counseling for diverse patient groups.
