Firearm Injury, Firearm Ownership, Firearm Safety
Conditions
Keywords
Firearm safety, Firearm injury, Firearm ownership, Injury prevention, Pediatric emergency department
Brief summary
Firearm injuries is the leading cause of death for children in the United States with approximately 5,000 children being injured or killed by firearms annually. Estimates show there are over 400 million legal and illicit firearms in the US, with approximately 43% of Minnesotans owning a firearm, and over 4.5 million US children living in a home where a firearm is stored loaded and unlocked. Due to the ubiquity of firearms in American homes, interventions that address safe storage can prevent a significant number of pediatric injuries and deaths. Injury prevention and safety counseling are integral parts of pediatric care. Pediatric providers already screen for and provide safety counseling regarding infant sleep location, car seats, bike helmets, and smoking. Firearm safety screening is a natural fit with pediatric practice. However, in the absence of a standardized process, screening for firearm access is rarely completed. In this randomized controlled trial (RCT), the investigators will identify the most effective firearm safety screening question(s) among caregivers of children presenting to the pediatric emergency department (PED) using a stratified, six-arm RCT. Under the assumption that individuals under-report firearm ownership, firearm safety screeners resulting in higher rates of self-reported firearm exposure will be considered more effective.
Interventions
OTHERScreening Questions 1
The arm asks caregiver about firearm possession and whether it is locked.
OTHERScreening Questionnaire 2
Caregivers are asked modified questions about firearm possession and how firearm is stored.
OTHERScreening Questionnaire 3
Caregivers are asked modified questions about firearm possession and how firearm is stored.
OTHERScreening Questionnaire 4
Caregivers are asked modified questions about firearm possession and how firearm is stored.
OTHERScreening Questionnaire 5
Caregivers are asked modified questions about firearm possession and how firearm is stored.
OTHERScreening Questionnaire 6
Caregivers are asked modified questions about firearm possession and how firearm is stored.
Sponsors
Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SCREENING
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
Masking Description
Intervention model description
Model Description
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Caregivers: Any adult in the PED may self-enroll through use of the QR code. * Research Assistants will only approach families to facilitate enrollment for: 1) Emergency Severity Index (ESI) 3, 4, or 5; 2) ESI 1 or 2 with provider approval; 3) Families who are noted to speak English, Spanish, or Somali in Cerner
Exclusion criteria
* Under age 18
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Highest rate of report of firearm exposure. | Screener takes 10 minutes | Per screener, which yielded the highest reported rate of firearm exposure |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rate of uptake of cable lock or lockbox in those reporting firearm exposure | Each participant completed a one time survey in the ED. There was no extended enrollment or follow up. The survey took approximately 10 minutes to complete. | For each screening, a "positive" exposure to firearms was determined. These individuals were offered a lockbox and all participants were offered a cable lock. The secondary outcome specifically assessed the rate of uptake of the locking devices in those reporting firearm exposure. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed