Citation

Laine C, Bornstein SS. Ann. Intern Med. 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, American College of Physicians)

DOI

10.7326/M23-0127

PMID

36645887

Abstract

An estimated 50 000 people in the United States lost their lives to guns in 2021 (1). An infectious organism responsible for that many deaths would clearly be considered a public health threat, and that is why the American College of Physicians sees gun injury as a public health issue (2). Reducing the negative impact of guns on the health of the U.S. public requires multidisciplinary efforts involving government, law enforcement, gun manufacturers, and others--health care professionals also have an important role. Physicians encounter patients who suffer the adverse consequences of firearm injury personally, via injury to a loved one or neighbor or because the ubiquity of guns makes them feel unsafe in their communities. Firearm injury in the United States highlights deep-seated inequities: The firearm homicide rate among Black individuals is consistently and substantially greater than that among White individuals (3). Gun injury is very much in our lane.

On 11 January 2023, Annals of Internal Medicine and the American College of Physicians gathered a panel of experts to discuss what health care professionals can do to reduce the adverse impact of guns on the health of their patients. Dr. Sue Bornstein, a general internal medicine physician and Chair of the Board of Regents of the American College of Physicians, moderated the discussion. Panelists were Marian (Emmy) Betz, MD, MPH; Scott P. Charles, MAPP; and Thea L. James, MD, MPH, MBA. Dr. Betz is an emergency medicine physician at University of Colorado who conducts research in injury epidemiology and prevention. She co-founded and leads the Colorado Firearm Safety Coalition. Mr. Charles is the Trauma Outreach Manager for Temple University Hospital and is Director of Temple's Cradle to Grave Program, an award-winning hospital-based initiative on violence prevention that educates public school students and adjudicated youth about the medical realities of firearm injury. He also coordinates the hospital's Trauma Victims Support Advocates program. Dr. James is Vice President of Mission and Associate Chief Medical Officer at Boston Medical Center. She is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Director of the Violence Intervention Advocacy Program at Boston Medical Center. Dr. James is a founding member of the National Network of Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Advocacy Programs...

Language: en