Development and Preliminary Evaluation of an Education Program for Primary Care Teams on Discussing Firearms Storage Safety With Veterans

In an effort to reduce suicide deaths among veterans, researchers developed an education program for primary care teams to discuss firearms storage safety (FSS) with this patient population. The program, titled "Just in Case': Discussing means safety with veterans at elevated risk for suicide," involved 71 staffers at two primary care clinics and pre- and post-training participant surveys of program satisfaction and comfort with firearms safety discussions. Development of the program involved four veteran focus groups and four primary care focus groups constituting 68 veterans and 107 staff members, respectively and/or individual interviews. The program focused on knowledge and skills learning goals supplemented by video demonstrations and skills practice. Pre-training data cited low self-reported rates of discussing firearms safety with veterans who may be at elevated suicide risk. Immediate post-training data indicated high program satisfaction and enhanced self-reported ratings of the importance of and comfort with FSS. The authors conclude the program has potential "as an approach toward helping move suicide prevention upstream into settings that often encounter patients at greater suicide risk and who may not interact with specialty mental health." More research is needed to hone and assess the impact of this or similar initiatives over time.

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