US medical schools should teach students how to counsel patients on firearm injury prevention

Firearm injuries have become an epidemic in the United States. In 2022, more than 48 000 US citizens died from firearm related injuries of all types—unintentional, suicide, and homicide—and in 2020 firearms surpassed motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of death among US children and adolescents.12 Firearms are also the most fatal method of suicide in the US, with 89.6% of suicide attempts by a firearm resulting in death between 2007 and 2014.3 Additionally, in 2020 the US firearm homicide rate reached 6.1 per 100 000 people—its highest rate in more than 25 years.4 Clearly, firearm related injury is a public health issue, and, as such, healthcare workers have a part to play in its resolution.With about a third of Americans owning a gun5 and approximately 4.6 million children living in homes with loaded and unlocked guns,6 prevention should start with counseling on safe gun storage. Healthcare consultations are…
Read Original Article: US medical schools should teach students how to counsel patients on firearm injury prevention »