The Firearm Suicide Crisis: Physicians Can Make a Difference

The Article in Brief

The Firearm Suicide Crisis: Physicians Can Make a Difference

Thomas M. Wickizer, and colleagues

Background As strategies to curb gun violence at the federal level have stalled, leaders in primary care and health policy have identified the role doctors can play in national gun safety efforts and the prevention of firearm suicide.

What This Study Found Thomas M. Wickizer and colleagues at the Ohio State University focus on the issue of firearm suicide and how improvements in primary care health screening could enhance physicians' ability to identify patients most at risk. Adding firearm safety questions to mental health screening could make firearm safety a more routine part of primary care. The authors also call on collective advocacy for policy change, recognizing the role that physician organizations have historically played in bringing about state-level drunk driving laws and regulation of tobacco advertising. In the wake of gun violence tragedies, physicians have mobilized on social media, using #ThisIsOurLane. The authors believe the medical community can harness the momentum of their online conversations to collectively influence the political discourse on firearms.

Implications