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StayCurrentMD
Update Course Rewind: Firearm Advocacy as a Pediatric Surgeon 2022
With Dr. Todd Ponsky
Part of
Trauma 10 items
Chapter 1 of 3 · Fundamentals
Firearm injury epidemic
Introduction: Firearm Injuries as Leading Cause of Pediatric Death and Complexity of Gun Violence
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What the experts said
This is a major public health issue with no single answer to solve this problem, and mental health is a major component.
There are lots of reasons for gun violence and for firearm related injury in this country requiring a complexity science and multi-prong approach.
Gun violence requires neighborhood transformation, mental health interventions, and availability of lock boxes and safety tools to prevent unintentional injury.
The incidence of mental health problems is probably equal between the United States and Chile, with the only difference being gun availability.
As pediatric surgeons, it is in our lane if we decide to take a stance on teaching about firearm safety.
Patient-based advocacy for firearm violence includes screening for risk factors and trauma informed care.
In communities with high firearm violence, patients and their families are impacted by trauma on a daily basis.
Advocacy starts at the local level, including knowing your own state laws about guns and other issues like Medicaid and access to care.
Children don't have a voice in policy matters, so we have to be their voice.
For the first time in recorded history, firearm injuries in children have exceeded motor vehicle crashes.
The deaths from suicide and homicide are both on the rise, particularly in the very young.
Suicide rates amongst children are huge, and if someone can revisit suicidal ideation 20 minutes after the initial impulse without access to means, they can work through it.
In patients with suicidal ideation, if there's a gun in the home, the risk of successfully committing suicide is at least three times higher.