Name
E06 - Firearms safety training interventions
Date & Time
Thursday, October 16, 2025, 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Location Name
302C
Description

Whether or not someone has access to a firearm is one of the strongest predictors of suicide. Providers in Primary Care are expected to ask patients about access to firearms and be able to give basic guidance around safe storage, yet few get formal education on how to do so. This presentation will give a brief introduction to participants on how to talk to patients to patients about firearm safety in a collaborative and non-judgmental way. A similar training was given to Collaborative Care clinicians at a large academic medical center. The group was surveyed before and after the training to see how it changed their comfort and actual practice. There will be discussion on the feasibility of doing this in other settings.

Shanda Wells
Session Type
Concurrent
Objective 1
Know how to talk to patients about safe firearm storage.
Objective 2
Discuss how this training influenced providers.
Objective 3
Brainstorm ideas on how to do this in their own setting.
Content Reference 1

Haasz, M., Boggs, J. M., Beidas, R. S & Betz, M. E. (2002). Firearms, Physicians, Families and Kids: Finding Words that Work. The Journal of Pediatrics. https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(22)00478-4/fulltext

Content Reference 2

Studdert, D. M., Zhang, Y., Swanson, S. A., Prince, L., Rodden, J. A., Holsinger, E. E., Spittal, M. J., Wintermute, G. J., & Miller, M. (2020). Handgun ownership and suicide in California | New England Journal of Medicine. The New England Journal of Medicine. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1916744

Content Reference 3

Wilson, M.R., Smith, N. A., Peek, M. E. et al. (2024). Primary Care Patients’ Perspectives on Health Care Screening for Firearms in a Diverse, Urban Area. JAMA Internal Medicine. https://jamanetwork-com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2813851