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Pediatric Firearm Injuries and Fatalities pp 111–126Cite as

Emergency Department and Hospital-Based Interventions

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Abstract

Medical centers, particularly emergency departments (EDs), are a frequent touchpoint for children and youth exposed to violence in their homes, schools, and communities. Many circumstances place children at risk for firearm injury, and these circumstances vary with age. Young children encountering a firearm in the home can lead to tragic consequences and severe injury or death, whereas older children and adolescents are more at risk for intentional use of a firearm to harm either themselves or others. There are antecedents of injury that can be identified during a medical encounter, such as the access to firearms, depression, and suicidality. In addition, there are potentially brewing issues of revenge and retaliation that may offer medical personnel a chance to intervene before severe injury or death. This chapter will describe ED and hospital-based assessment and interventions for youth at risk of firearm injury and will focus on limiting access to firearms, preventing suicide, and reducing the incidence and impact of assaults from peer violence.

Emergency room doctors speak out on South California gun violence

By Thomas Curwen

August 19, 2013. Los Angeles Times

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Joel A. Fein

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  1. Joel A. Fein
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Correspondence to Joel A. Fein .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Lois K. Lee

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Eric W. Fleegler

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Fein, J.A. (2021). Emergency Department and Hospital-Based Interventions. In: Lee, L.K., Fleegler, E.W. (eds) Pediatric Firearm Injuries and Fatalities . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62245-9_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62245-9_8

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