Firearm Screening in the Pediatric Emergency Department

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.

Conditions

• Firearm Safety
• Firearm Injury
• Firearm Ownership

Interventions

OTHER

Screening Questions 1

The arm asks caregiver about firearm possession and whether it is locked.

OTHER

Screening Questionnaire 2

Caregivers are asked modified questions about firearm possession and how firearm is stored.

OTHER

Screening Questionnaire 3

Caregivers are asked modified questions about firearm possession and how firearm is stored.

OTHER

Screening Questionnaire 4

Caregivers are asked modified questions about firearm possession and how firearm is stored.

OTHER

Screening Questionnaire 5

Caregivers are asked modified questions about firearm possession and how firearm is stored.

OTHER

Screening Questionnaire 6

Caregivers are asked modified questions about firearm possession and how firearm is stored.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SCREENING

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-12-15

Primary Completion

2025-09-04

Completion

2025-09-04

Countries

• United States

Study Locations