Curbing Firearm Violence: Identifying a Specific Target for Physician Action
Authors: Steven E. Weinberger
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2016)

Editorials2 August 2016Curbing Firearm Violence: Identifying a Specific Target for Physician ActionSteven E. Weinberger, MDSteven E. Weinberger, MDFrom American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M16-0968 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Physicians not only have a responsibility to their patients to diagnose and treat illness; they also have a broader societal obligation to improve population health. The latter can be discharged in part through activities and conversations with patients and families aimed at primary prevention of illness and injury. We have witnessed many examples of successful public health efforts focused on preventing illness and injury, such as immunization, use of seat belts, and smoking cessation initiatives. In each case, physicians and other health care providers have used various methods to inform and educate their patients and the public at large to ...References1. Lewiecki EM, Miller SA. Suicide, guns, and public policy. Am J Public Health. 2013;103:27-31. [PMID: 23153127] doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.300964 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Butkus R, Doherty R, Daniel H; Health and Public Policy Committee of the American College of Physicians. Reducing firearm-related injuries and deaths in the United States: executive summary of a policy position paper from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2014;160:858-60. [PMID: 24722815]. doi:10.7326/M14-0216 LinkGoogle Scholar3. Dowd MD, Sege RD; Council on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention Executive Committee. Firearm-related injuries affecting the pediatric population. Pediatrics. 2012;130:e1416-23. [PMID: 23080412] doi:10.1542/peds.2012-2481 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Pinals DA, Appelbaum PS, Bonnie R, Fisher CE, Gold LH, Lee LW. American Psychiatric Association: position statement on firearm access, acts of violence and the relationship to mental illness and mental health services. Behav Sci Law. 2015;33:195-8. [PMID: 26095100] doi:10.1002/bsl.2180 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Weinberger SE, Hoyt DB, Lawrence HC, Levin S, Henley DE, Alden ER, et al. Firearm-related injury and death in the United States: a call to action from 8 health professional organizations and the American Bar Association. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162:513-6. [PMID: 25706470]. doi:10.7326/M15-0337 LinkGoogle Scholar6. Weinberger SE. Updated list of endorsers of call to action paper on firearms violence. Accessed at http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2151828&resultClick=3 on 9 April 2016. Google Scholar7. Parmet W. The curious case of the docs versus the Glocks: firearms, the First Amendment, and physician speech. Health Affairs Blog. 9 March 2016. Accessed at http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2016/03/09/the-curious-case-of-the-docs-versus-the-glocks-firearms-the-first-amendment-and-physician-speech on 9 April 2016. Google Scholar8. Weinberger SE, Lawrence HC, Henley DE, Alden ER, Hoyt DB. Legislative interference with the patient-physician relationship. N Engl J Med. 2012;367:1557-9. [PMID: 23075183] doi:10.1056/NEJMsb1209858 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Wintemute GJ, Betz ME, Ranney ML. Yes, you can: physicians, patients, and firearms. Ann Intern Med. 2016;165:205-13. doi:10.7326/M15-2905 LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M16-0968.Corresponding Author: Steven E. Weinberger, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, American College of Physicians, 190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106; e-mail, [email protected]org.This article was published at www.annals.org on 17 May 2016. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoYes, You Can: Physicians, Patients, and Firearms Garen J. Wintemute , Marian E. Betz , and Megan L. Ranney Curbing Firearm Violence Robert B. Sklaroff Curbing Firearm Violence Steven Weinberger Metrics Cited byGlobal Health Education and Advocacy: Using BMJ Case Reports to Tackle the Social Determinants of HealthThe Health Care Professional's Pledge: Protecting Our Patients From Firearm InjuryChristine Laine, MD, MPH and Darren B. Taichman, MD, PhDCurbing Firearm ViolenceRobert B. Sklaroff, MD 2 August 2016Volume 165, Issue 3Page: 221-222KeywordsBehaviorChild healthDisclosureFire safetyFirearm injuriesHealth careHealth care providersPrevention, policy, and public healthSuicideSurgeons ePublished: 17 May 2016 Issue Published: 2 August 2016 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2016 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...