INTERNISTS AND SURGEONS ATTITUDES TOWARD GUNS AND FIREARM INJURY PREVENTION

Background: The high rates of death, injury, and longterm disability r elated to firearms in the United States have led to growing concern in the health care community. Medical organizations and journals are dev oting increasing attention to firearm violence as a public health prob lem; however, few reports discuss physician attitudes toward guns and prevention of firearm-related injury. Objective: To determine internis ts' and surgeons' attitudes toward guns and firearm injury prevention. Design: Analysis of results of a structured telephone interview. Sett ing: Internal medicine and surgical offices. Participants: 457 interni sts and 458 surgeons. Measures: 55 questions that covered six domains: experience with firearms, knowledge about clinical sequelae of firear m injury, knowledge about public policies on firearm violence, attitud es toward public policies on firearm violence, clinical practice behav ior, and education and training. Results: The interview response rate was 45.3%, with a compliance rate of 82.5% and a 95% probability (erro r rate, +/- 5%). Ninety-four percent of internists and 87% of surgeons believe firearm violence is a major public health issue. A majority o f internists and surgeons also support community efforts to enact legi slation to restrict the possession or sale of handguns (84% and 64%, r espectively). Furthermore, although 84% of internists and 72% of surge ons believe that physicians should be involved with firearm injury pre vention, less than 20% of respondents usually engage in some form of f irearm injury prevention practice in patient care. Conclusion: Many in ternists and surgeons think that firearm injuries are a public health issue of growing importance, that physicians should incorporate firear m safety screening and counseling into their practice, that physicians should join community efforts to regulate handguns, and that specific gun regulation measures should be adopted as public policy.