Closing the knowledge gap: identifying research priorities for firearm-related injury and mortality in Canada

Firearm-related injury and death are leading yet preventable causes of premature death in Canada. Our objective was to identify knowledge gaps and research priorities to inform a national research agenda to prevent firearm-related injury and death.

In a two-stage process, nominal group technique was used to encourage experts in firearm injury and death (N = 15) to generate ideas relevant to knowledge gaps in three areas: unintentional firearm injury, intimate partner violence (IPV)/femicide and other firearm-related assaults. Relevant parties (N = 43) subsequently voted on the identified gaps to determine top priorities for future research.

In Stage 1, the experts identified 22 knowledge gaps in unintentional firearm injury, 16 in IPV-related firearm injury/femicide and 33 in other assault-related firearm injuries. Based on their importance and feasibility as research projects, they then selected five, three and seven, respectively, of these knowledge gaps. In Stage 2, the top priorities for future research emerged: the economic cost of firearm injuries to victims' families and communities and Canadian society; the impact of social policies and legislation aimed at reducing IPV/femicide-related firearm injuries and deaths; and a description of the available and required Canadian firearm-injury data.

The top priorities highlight the large and diverse gaps in knowledge about firearm injury and death in Canada. This marks the first step toward developing a national research agenda for firearm-related injuries. Next steps include operationalizing these gaps into research questions, identifying data sources and methodological approaches, and choosing knowledge translation strategies.