Violence prevention involvement among trauma surgeons: description and preliminary evaluation

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Trauma Surgery
• Violence Prevention

Background:

• Violence is a significant public health concern, yet the role of trauma surgeons and centers in prevention is not well-defined.
• Despite the importance of prevention in public health policy, the specific contributions of trauma surgeons and trauma centers to violence prevention efforts remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the scope of violence prevention activities within trauma centers.
• To understand trauma surgeons' involvement and attitudes towards violence prevention.
• To assess the perceived necessity of a structured violence prevention curriculum for trauma surgeons.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive analysis was conducted on data from 230 (53% response rate) self-report postal surveys.
• Surveys were distributed to trauma directors and associate directors at 430 Level I and Level II trauma centers across the United States.

Main Results:

• 55% of trauma centers reported active violence prevention programs, with surgeons involved 47% of the time.
• Only 26% of surgeons actively participated in violence prevention, though 71% believed it should be integral to trauma center activities.
• Surgeon involvement significantly correlated with the presence of institutional violence prevention programs (p <0.001).

Conclusions:

• Trauma surgeons show strong support for violence prevention programs and their integration into trauma centers.
• A significant gap exists between surgeon support for violence prevention and actual participation, with 69% willing to get involved.
• Lack of established roles, prior experience, and guidance outside existing programs contribute to the low involvement of surgeons in violence prevention activities.