Summary Document
Milan George, Mason Pettit, Amanda Saving, Jamie Stewart-Aday
Sample Demographic Tables
| Overall (N=173) |
|
|---|---|
| Frequency Caring for Gun Violence Victims | |
| Nearly every day | 11 (6.4%) |
| At least once per week | 16 (9.2%) |
| At least once per month | 38 (22.0%) |
| At least one time in last six months | 38 (22.0%) |
| I have not provided care for victims of gun violence in the last six months. | 67 (38.7%) |
| Missing | 3 (1.7%) |
| Frequency Caring for Domestic Violence Survivors | |
| Nearly every day | 10 (5.8%) |
| At least once per week | 24 (13.9%) |
| At least once per month | 56 (32.4%) |
| At least one time in last six months | 0 (0%) |
| I have not provided care for this population in the last six months. | 40 (23.1%) |
| Missing | 43 (24.9%) |
| Frequency Caring for LGBTQ+ Communities | |
| Nearly every day | 50 (28.9%) |
| At least once per week | 52 (30.1%) |
| At least once per month | 36 (20.8%) |
| At least one time in last six months | 0 (0%) |
| I have not provided care for this population in the last six months. | 13 (7.5%) |
| Missing | 22 (12.7%) |
| Frequency Caring for Low-Income Communities | |
| Nearly every day | 105 (60.7%) |
| At least once per week | 39 (22.5%) |
| At least once per month | 7 (4.0%) |
| At least one time in last six months | 0 (0%) |
| I have not provided care for this population in the last six months. | 12 (6.9%) |
| Missing | 10 (5.8%) |
| Frequency Caring for Racial/Ethnic Minority Communities | |
| Nearly every day | 114 (65.9%) |
| At least once per week | 38 (22.0%) |
| At least once per month | 8 (4.6%) |
| At least one time in last six months | 0 (0%) |
| I have not provided care for this population in the last six months. | 7 (4.0%) |
| Missing | 6 (3.5%) |
| Frequency Discussing Firearm Safety | |
| Nearly every day | 7 (4.0%) |
| At least once per week | 28 (16.2%) |
| At least once per month | 29 (16.8%) |
| At least one time in last six months | 0 (0%) |
| I have not discussed firearm safety with my patients in the last six months. | 73 (42.2%) |
| Missing | 36 (20.8%) |
| Frequency Discussing Safe/Storage Methods | |
| Discussed with patients | 100 (57.8%) |
| Have not discussed with patients | 68 (39.3%) |
| Missing | 5 (2.9%) |
| Frequency Discussing Storing Ammunition Separately | |
| Discussed with patients | 84 (48.6%) |
| Have not discussed with patients | 83 (48.0%) |
| Missing | 6 (3.5%) |
| Frequency Discussing Removing Firearms From Residence | |
| Discussed with patients | 72 (41.6%) |
| Have not discussed with patients | 95 (54.9%) |
| Missing | 6 (3.5%) |
| Frequency Discussing Firearm Safety Statistics | |
| Discussed with patients | 67 (38.7%) |
| Have not discussed with patients | 100 (57.8%) |
| Missing | 6 (3.5%) |
| Frequency Discussing Federal, State, or Local Firearm Laws | |
| Discussed with patients | 46 (26.6%) |
| Have not discussed with patients | 119 (68.8%) |
| Missing | 8 (4.6%) |
| Level of Comfortability for Firearm Discussions | |
| Comfortable | 126 (72.8%) |
| Uncomfortable | 44 (25.4%) |
| Missing | 3 (1.7%) |
| Level of Preparedness for Firearm Discussions | |
| Prepared | 120 (69.4%) |
| Unprepared | 50 (28.9%) |
| Missing | 3 (1.7%) |
Age
Our sample skewed towards older ages, with the most common age groups being 35-44, 45-54, and 25-34 years old.
Frequency in Seeing Patients
The vast majority of our sample (68%) saw patients nearly every day.
Gender
Our sample skewed female (72%).
Race
The majority of our sample identified as White (73%).
Ethnicity
Most of our sample (87%) did not identify as Hispanic or Latino.
Firearm Ownership
Most of our sample does not own a firearm (64%), and the remaining respondents own a firearm or someone else in their residence does.
Frequency of Storing Loaded Firearm
Among respondents who had a firearm in their residence, the majority did not store it loaded.
Firearm Storage Method
Of those that had a firearm in their residence, the most common firearm storage method was lock boxes, followed by trigger locks and cable locks.
State
The overwhelming majority of respondents practice in Illinois.
Occupation
The majority of respondents were physicians or nurses.
Specialty
The most represented specialties were pediatrics and emergency medicine.
Urbanicity
The most common setting to practice in was urban (56%), followed by suburban (34%) areas.
Healthcare Facility Type
The most common facility to practice in was an academic center, followed by a community hospital.
Frequency of Treating Special Populations
Frequency Treating Victims of Gun Violence
The frequency of treating gun violence victims varied; many providers had not provided care for these patients in the previous six months or had infrequently treated these patients.
Frequency Treating Domestic Violence Survivors
The majority of respondents did not frequently treat domestic violence survivors. However, many treat these patients at least once a month.
Frequency Treating Individuals in the LBGTQ+ Community
Most respondents treated members of the LGBTQ+ community at least once per week or nearly every day.
Frequency Treating Low-Income Individuals
The majority of respondents treated low-income individuals nearly every day.
Frequency Treating Racially/Ethnically Minoritized Individuals
The vast majority of respondents treated racially/ethnically minoritized individuals nearly every day.
Frequency of Firearm Safety Discussion
Firearm safety conversations are not common in practice; most respondents have not discussed firearm safety with their patients in the last six months.
Discussion of Safe Firearm Storage
Most respondents (60%) had discussed firearm safety with their patients at some point.
Discussion of Storing Ammunition Separately
Respondents were approximately evenly split on whether they had discussed storing ammunition separately from firearms.
Discussion of Removing Firearms from Residence
Most respondents (57%) have not discussed removing firearms from the residence with patients.
Discussion of Firearm Safety Statistics
The majority (60%) of respondents have not discussed firearm safety statistics with patients.
Discussion of Laws Relating to Firearm Use
The majority (72%) of respondents have not discussed laws relating to firearm use with patients.
Exposure to Brady Resource Guide
The majority of respondents (60%) were unfamiliar with the Resource Guide.
Exposure to Firearm Resource Guides for Healthcare Workers
The majority (55%) of respondents have read other resources for healthcare professionals about firearm safety conversations.
Barriers to Discussion
| Barriers | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Lack of relevance to my discussions | 42.77 |
| Time constraints | 38.73 |
| Lack of training/resources | 31.21 |
| The topic’s political sensitivity | 25.43 |
| No Barriers | 16.76 |
| State/local laws | 6.36 |
The most commonly reported barriers to having firearm safety conversations were relevance to practice, time constraints, and training. Very few respondents reported no barriers.
Respondents reporting no barriers to firearm safety conversations with patients varied on frequency of discussions, but most commonly had a conversation at least once in the past six months or at least once per month.
Sentiments Regarding Firearm Safety Conversations in Healthcare
Comfortability
The majority (74%) of respondents felt comfortable conversing about firearm safety with patients.
Emergency medicine providers were least likely to report feeling comfortable with firearm safety discussions (56%).
Healthcare professionals aged 18-24 or 25-34 are somewhat more likely to report feeling uncomfortable having firearm safety discussions than other age groups.
Respondents who treated gun violence victims only at least once in the last 6 months were least likely to report feeling comfortable having firearm safety discussions (61%) - less than those who did not treat any gun violence victims in the last 6 months (78%).
Respondents who practice in urban settings are slightly more likely to feel comfortable discussing firearm violence with their patients (77%) than those in non-urban settings (71%).
Preparedness
The majority (71%) of respondents felt prepared to have firearm safety conversations with patients.
Emergency medicine providers were significantly less likely to report feeling prepared to have firearm safety discussions (49%) than other specialties.
Healthcare professionals aged 35-44 or 45-54 are somewhat more likely to report feeling unprepared to have firearm safety discussions.
Respondents who treated gun violence victims only at least once in the last 6 months were least likely to report feeling prepared having firearm safety discussions (63%) - less than those who did not treat any gun violence victims in the last 6 months (73%).
Respondents who practice in urban settings are more likely to feel prepared discussing firearm violence with their patients (75%) than those in non-urban settings (65%).
Importance in Specialty
The vast majority (89%) of respondents believe discussing firearm safety is important in their specialty.
Respondents across specialties overwhelmingly reported that firearm safety discussions were important in their specialty.
Respondents across age groups overwhelmingly reported that firearm safety discussions were important in their specialty.
Respondents overwhelmingly reported that firearm safety discussions were important in their specialty, regardless of the frequency with which they treated gun violence victims.
Importance in Healthcare
Almost all (99%) of respondents believe discussing firearm safety is important in healthcare.
Respondents across age groups overwhelmingly reported that firearm safety discussions were important in healthcare.
Respondents overwhelmingly reported that firearm safety discussions were important in healthcare regardless of the frequency they treated gun violence victims.
Demographic Information Faceted by Healthcare Worker Characteristics
By Age
Emergency Medicine providers tended to be younger than other specialties.
Younger healthcare professionals (25-34 or 35-44) are somewhat less likely to have discussed firearm safety with their patients in the last 6 months than those aged 45-54 or 55-64.
Respondents aged 45-54 and 55-64 were more likely to have discussed safe/secure storage methods with their patients when having firearm safety discussions than other age groups.
Respondents aged 55-64 were more likely to have discussed storing ammunition separate from firearms with their patients when having firearm safety discussions than other age groups.
Respondents aged 45-54 were more likely to have discussed removing firearms from the home with their patients when having firearm safety discussions than other age groups.
Respondents aged 55-64 were somewhat more likely to have discussed firearm safety statistics with their patients when having firearm safety discussions than other age groups.
Respondents aged 25-34 were more likely to have discussed federal, state, and local laws relating to firearm use with their patients when having firearm safety discussions than other age groups.
Relevance and Time were among the top barriers for all age groups. Politics was more likely to be reported as a barrier for younger respondents.
By Specialty
Emergency Medicine providers were least likely (28%) to have discussed firearm safety with patients in the last 6 months.
Pediatric specialists were more likely to have discussed safe/secure storage methods (60%) with their patients when having firearm safety discussions than emergency medicine (41%) and other specialists.
Pediatric specialists were more likely to have discussed storing ammunition separate from firearms (69%) with their patients when having firearm safety discussions than emergency medicine (33%) and other specialists.
All specialties were similarly unlikely to have discussed removing firearms from the home with their patients when having firearm safety discussions.
Emergency medicine specialists were significantly less likely to discuss firearm safety statistics (23%) with their patients when having firearm safety discussions.
Emergency Medicine (21%) and Pediatrics (19%) were much less likely to have discussed federal, state, and local laws relating to firearm use with their patients when having firearm safety discussions than “Other” specialists (33%).
Relevance and Time were among the top barriers for all specialties; however, Emergency medicine specialists were more likely to report training and politics as barriers compared to pediatric specialists.
By Frequency of Exposure to Gun Violence
Respondents who provided care for gun violence victims more frequently were more likely to report having firearm safety discussions.
Respondents who treated gun violence patients nearly every day were more likely to have discussed safe/secure storage methods (82%) with their patients when having firearm safety discussions. Caution- this is a small sample.
Respondents who had not provided care for gun violence victims in the last 6 months were somewhat less likely to have discussed storing ammunition separate from firearms (45%) with their patients when having firearm safety discussions.
Respondents who had not provided care for gun violence victims in the last 6 months were much less likely to have discussed removing firearms from the home (32%) with their patients when having firearm safety discussions.
Respondents who had not provided care for gun violence victims in the last 6 months were much less likely to have discussed firearm safety statistics (30%) with their patients when having firearm safety discussions.
Respondents who had not provided care for gun violence victims in the last 6 months were much less likely to have discussed federal, state, and local laws about firearm use (14%) with their patients when having firearm safety discussions.
Respondents who had not provided care for gun violence victims in the last 6 months were much more likely to report relevance as a barrier to having firearm safety discussions.
Sentiments Regarding Informational Sections of Resource Guide
91% of respondents said that the informational section they were shown provided them with new information. Section 3: Common Challenges for Providers (95%) was the best-performing informational section, while Section 2: How to Talk With Patients About Firearm Safety (87%) was the worst-performing informational section.
89% of respondents said that the informational section they were shown made them more comfortable discussing gun violence with their patients. Section 3: Common Challenges for Providers (95%) was the best-performing informational section, while Section 4: On Discussing Gun Violence With Patients From Diverse Communities (84%) was the worst-performing informational section.
85% of respondents said that the informational section they were shown is applicable to their practice. Section 1: Learning About Safe Gun Storage (88%) was the best-performing informational section, while Section 2: How to Talk With Patients About Firearm Safety (79%) was the worst-performing informational section.
80% of respondents said that the informational section they were shown would have been useful in the past six months. Section 1: Learning About Safe Gun Storage (86%) was the best-performing informational section, while Section 2: How to Talk With Patients About Firearm Safety (74%) was the worst-performing informational section.
84% of respondents said that the informational section they were shown would be useful in the next six months. Section 1: Learning About Safe Gun Storage (91%) was the best-performing informational section, while Section 2: How to Talk With Patients About Firearm Safety (76%) was the worst-performing informational section.
After seeing an informational section of the resource guide, 88% of respondents said that discussing firearm safety is important in their practice. Section 3: Common Challenges for Providers (93%) was the best-performing informational section, while Section 1: Learning About Safe Gun Storage (85%) was the worst-performing informational section.
After seeing an informational section of the resource guide, 98% of respondents said that discussing firearm safety is important in healthcare.
| Section | Provides New Information | Increased Comfortability | Applicability | Usefulness in Last Six Months | Usefulness in Next Six Months | Importance of Discussions In Practice | Importance of Discussions In Healthcare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learning About Safe Gun Storage | 91.4 | 88.6 | 88.2 | 85.7 | 91.4 | 85.3 | 100.0 |
| How to Talk With Patients About Firearm Safety | 87.2 | 87.2 | 78.9 | 73.7 | 76.3 | 86.8 | 94.7 |
| Common Challenges for Providers | 95.0 | 95.0 | 87.5 | 80.0 | 90.0 | 92.5 | 100.0 |
| On Discussing Gun Violence with Patient From Diverse Communities | 89.5 | 84.2 | 86.8 | 81.6 | 78.9 | 86.8 | 97.4 |
| a Values indicate percentage of respondents that agreed with the statement |
Sentiments Regarding Scripts of Resource Guide
79% of respondents said that the script they were shown provided them with new information. Script 8: Trauma Follow-up (86%) was the best-performing script, while Script 3: Teen Patient (67%) was the worst-performing script.
83% of respondents said that the script they were shown made them more comfortable discussing gun violence with their patients. Script 4: Provider and Patient Experiencing Domestic Violence (94%) was the best-performing script, while Script 3: Teen Patient (63%) was the worst-performing script.
72% of respondents said that the script they were shown is applicable to their practice. Script 4: Pediatrician and Patient (92%) was the best-performing script, while Script 3: Teen Patient (58%) was the worst-performing script.
68% of respondents said that the script they were shown would have been useful in the past six months. Script 4: Pediatrician and Patient (76%) was the best-performing script, while Script 3: Teen Patient (46%) was the worst-performing script.
76% of respondents said that the script they were shown would be useful in the next six months. Script 4: Pediatrician and Patient (84%) was the best-performing script, while Script 3: Teen Patient (63%) was the worst-performing script.
| Script | Provides New Information | Increased Comfortability | Applicability | Usefulness in Last Six Months | Usefulness in Next Six Months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult Patient | 71.4 | 85.7 | 71.4 | 71.4 | 82.1 |
| Older Adult Patient | 83.3 | 83.3 | 58.3 | 70.8 | 75.0 |
| Teen Patient | 66.7 | 62.5 | 58.3 | 45.8 | 62.5 |
| Pediatrician and Parent | 84.0 | 92.0 | 92.0 | 76.0 | 84.0 |
| Provider and Patient Experiencing Domestic Violence | 83.3 | 94.4 | 83.3 | 70.6 | 77.8 |
| Trauma Followup | 86.2 | 82.8 | 72.4 | 72.4 | 72.4 |
| a Values indicate percentage of respondents that agreed with the statement |