Should your doctor ask or counsel you about gun safety and other firearm-related issues? A new report affirms that it is legal for them to do so.
In an effort to prevent firearm-related injuries in the United States, a team of doctors from University of California, Davis, University of Colorado, and Brown University conducted a review of literature that focused on the barriers commonly cited when it comes to preventive medicine of these types of injuries.
In the new report, researchers highlighted the fact that gun safety and firearm-related injuries should be considered as a public health concern. What's more, if physicians have not talked to patients about the topic, it is highly recommended that they do.
Dr. Megan Ranney of Brown University, one of the authors of the study, said asking about access to firearms is just like asking about alcohol use, car seats, smoking, or sexual behavior.
Ranney and her colleagues' study follows a call to action released by leaders of eight medical groups in cooperation with the American Bar Association, which suggested that doctors ask patients about firearms during routine care visits or as part of a risk assessment.
What stops physicians from asking the right questions is the fact that some of them believe it is illegal to do so, said Professor Garen Wintemute of UC Davis. However, there is no state or federal statute that bans them from doing it, especially when the information is relevant to the health of patients.
"Even Florida, which is thought to have such a prohibition, actually relies on the health care professional's judgment," said Wintemute.
In the U.S., firearm-related injury is one of the major drivers of premature death. Statistics show that as of 2012, the life expectancy of residents in the country is at 78.7 years, compared to that in France and UK which was 82.6 years and 81.5 years respectively.
Although gun-related injury, car accidents, and drug overdoses only account to 4 percent of overall deaths in the U.S., experts said they largely contribute to the low longevity.
With that, Ranney and her colleagues described the settings in which it was best to discuss gun safety:
1. When there is an immediate risk where a patient will hurt somebody or themselves;
2. When there are risk factors of violence -- physical abuse, domestic abuse, drug abuse, serious mental illness, etc. -- at home;
3. When patients are part of a demographic group at high risk for violence to somebody else or themselves;
4. When patients have a history of violence, mental disorders, and other factors that might impair judgment;
5. When patients have expressed homicidal or suicidal ideas or intent;
6. When there are kids or adolescents at home.
Researchers said it is critical that the attitude toward the issue is not prescriptive. Doctors should make sure that patients are open to firearm safety counseling by focusing on their wellbeing and safety, especially when children are involved.
Providing education to patients, as well as an extensive list of information and resources for patients on gun safety, firearms and suicide, and safe storage, are all crucial.
Meanwhile, the team's report is published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
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