How to talk about health care professionals’ role in reducing youth firearm injuries

Prepare for the conversation

Effective conversations with other health care professionals about preventing firearm injuries, begin with an understanding of the topic and the work others are already doing. This may include taking online courses and connecting with local and national health care and community organizations. Each conversation you have with another health care professional is an opportunity to listen and better understand their views. 

Remember that colleagues in different health care specialties interact with patients differently based on their needs.  For example, primary care physicians are often the first point of contact for patients and can help normalize conversations around firearm injury prevention as part of preventative health. OBGYNs care for patient populations that disproportionately experience intimate partner violence. For them and their patients, conversations about firearm injury prevention may be in the context of safety, trauma-informed care, or screening for abuse, as research has shown that homicide is the second leading cause of injury-related deaths for pregnant and postpartum individuals. (Source: ACOG)

Some of your colleagues may want to learn more about firearm injuries and secure storage in order to feel comfortable providing firearm safety counseling or screening patients who may be at risk of firearm injury. To support them, have educational resources available, such as one-pagers and online courses. If you don’t know where to start, visit our resources and tools to find the latest research and guides on youth firearm injury prevention. 

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When to start the conversation

During any one-on-one conversation with a colleague, you can ask whether they address firearm injury prevention when they talk with patients—and if so, how they approach it. If they aren’t yet having these conversations, you can offer to share guidance and resources.

If you’re willing to play a leadership role, consider organizing a group conversation. Plan a meeting to share information and discuss strategies for reducing firearm injuries in your community.

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What to say

The best conversation starters will depend on the context. For example, a pediatrician may be more interested in a conversation about preventing children’s access to firearms, while someone who works in emergency medicine may want to talk about how to break the cycle of community violence.

“It really bothers me that firearm injuries are the leading cause of death for children and teens. As health care professionals, how could we do more to help prevent these tragedies?”

“I’ve started asking all of my patients about firearms, and it’s going really well. I’ll use nonjudgmental language like, ‘Many of my patients have firearms at home, and they may store them differently if they’re used for hunting than if they’re used for self-defense. If you have any firearms, how do you typically store them?’ I find that acknowledging some of the reasons why they may own firearms helps establish trust.”

“Do you have any advice for talking with patients about firearm safety? One thing I’ve noticed is that people respond better if I avoid the phrase ‘gun violence’ and use ‘preventing firearm injuries’ instead.”

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Find common ground

Other health care professionals may express hesitation about discussing youth firearm injuries with patients. For example, they may feel that they are already trying to address too many topics during patient visits or worry that they’ll say something that a patient takes the wrong way. Listen closely to your colleagues’ concerns, so you can find common ground and offer practical solutions.

“We talk with patients about potential health risks in order to help them stay safe and healthy, and secure firearm storage can be part of that same conversation.”

“The more conversations you have about secure firearm storage, the more comfortable you’ll feel with the topic—and your willingness to address it could inspire your patients to have similar conversations with others.”

“Educating patients can make a real difference. Research has found that physician counseling on firearm safety is a key component in preventing firearm injuries and deaths.” (Source: National Library of Medicine)

 

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After the chat

Share resources designed to educate health care professionals on firearms, secure firearm storage, and preventing youth firearm injuries. In our resources section, you’ll find everything from fact sheets to firearm counseling courses.

If a colleague seems reluctant to talk with their patients about reducing youth firearm injuries, offer to role-play potential conversations with them so they feel more comfortable.