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Abstract
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Injury prevention is an important aspect of emergency nursing practice and should be a care priority for our patients, families, and each other. It is the position of the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) that “emergency nurses, as members of the frontline care team, are poised to lead in the prevention of injury through evidence-based education, public education, and healthcare advocacy.” Ensuring that each emergency nurse has the knowledge and ability to proactively address injury prevention is essential.
Firearm injury prevention has long been my passion. Growing up in a family that hunted to provide food for our family meant an early exposure to long guns. My father practiced responsible gun ownership, storing his guns and ammunition separately and out of reach of children. As an emergency nurse, I have all too often seen the devastating impact of unsafe firearm storage. Children encountering unsupervised access to guns can lead to unintentional injuries, many of which are fatal, underscoring the need to advocate for safe storage and responsible gun ownership. In 2017, the overall unintentional, nonfatal firearm injury rate was 868 per 100,000 and the rate for children 0 to 14 years of age was 62 per 100,000 unintentional fatalities. Teaching children how to be safe when they encounter unsafe access to firearms is important, but education of children is not enough. Helping parents and caregivers understand the need for safe storage, injury prevention education, and responsible gun ownership are essential to reduce pediatric morbidity and mortality associated with firearms. Children are our future and we must help promote strategies that will keep them safe. Injury prevention can be accomplished during teachable moments, informal and formal programming for children, parents and caregivers, and the public ...
Language: en |