Promoting Firearm Safety as a Suicide Prevention Strategy Within Health Care Systems: Challenges and Recommendations.

Publisher: American Psychiatric Association Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 9502838 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1557-9700 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 10752730 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Psychiatr Serv Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Washington, DC : American Psychiatric Association, c1995-

Firearms* ; Safety* ; Suicide Prevention*; Health Personnel/*education ; Health Promotion/*methods; Humans ; Risk Assessment ; Wounds, Gunshot/prevention & control

In 2017, half of the 47,173 suicides in the United States were firearm related. Health care systems have an important role in promoting firearm-related lethal-means safety, a key component of suicide prevention programs. To effectively do so, health care systems will face challenges, including training staff, developing interventions, navigating patients' risk perceptions, and managing sensitive firearm-related patient information. These challenges can be addressed by developing evidence-driven and provider-specific training, prioritizing research that informs evidence-based clinical interventions (in part through improving understanding of risk perceptions), clarifying data management practices, partnering with stakeholders from the firearm community, and leveraging the health care systems' roles within the public health system.

Keywords: Firearms; Mental health hospitals; Mental health systems; Suicide and self-destructive behavior; Suicide prevention; veterans

Date Created: 20191115 Date Completed: 20210114 Latest Revision: 20221207

20240628

10.1176/appi.ps.201900286

31722648