Citation

Fix GM, Linsky AM. J. Gen. Intern Med. 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s11606-021-06716-6

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

While two thirds of Veteran suicides result from firearm injury and half are seen in primary care settings in the month prior to death, the majority (58%) of physicians do not ask patients about firearm ownership.1 Furthermore, even fewer (23%) physicians report discussing ways to reduce the risk for firearm-related injury or death.1 This critical gap in communication may result from overburdened primary care teams, knowledge deficits, or the highly politicized--and perhaps even taboo--topic of firearm ownership. Incorporating discussions about firearm storage safety (FSS) into routine healthcare for Veterans has potential to address the current rate of Veteran suicide, yet communication strategies to ensure well-informed and acceptable conversations between patients and providers are lacking. In this issue of JGIM, Dobscha and colleagues explored Veterans' perspectives on discussing FSS during primary care visits, with the goal of identifying ways to foster primary care-based discussion of FSS with Veterans at risk for suicide.2

Patient-centered care encompasses five dimensions: patient-as-person, doctor-as-person, sharing power and responsibility, therapeutic alliance, and the biopsychosocial perspective.3 Below, we describe how this framing contextualizes Dobscha's findings and facilitates our understanding of Veterans' perspectives..

Language: en