Patient Interview Questions | Should Doctors Ask About Guns?

Patient Interview Questions | Should Doctors Ask About Guns?

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On Valentine’s Day, 2018 news headlines didn’t flash with heartwarming stories of couples together forever. Instead, media told the tale of gruesome terror unfolding in a Florida high school. The nation once again grieves the loss of young lives taken by a mass shooter. Grief quickly escalated from sympathy for the 17 victims’ families to arguments about gun control. Now, the blame game begins. Some point fingers at the parents of the shooter. Others blame the Uber driver who dropped him off at the school. Some question school authorities who didn’t notice an expelled student come inside. Many are shocked that the FBI ignored tips that he was threatening to shoot people. Then there’s the question of, should doctors ask about guns? A group of mental health providers decided not to hospitalize him after evaluating him for posting a video in which he cut his arms and said he wanted a gun.

Nikolas Cruz was supposedly diagnosed with ADHD, depression, and autism, according to his now deceased mother. Yet, at the age of 18, he obtained a gun legally. No matter where you stand on the issue of gun control, or whether or not you’re playing the blame game, as a physician, you’re probably wondering – should doctors ask about guns during patient interview questions?

should doctors ask about guns

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Should Doctors Ask About Guns?

There’s an ongoing debate on should doctors ask about guns or not. Those who say yes argue that gun violence affects health, especially the health of those who are statistically more likely to be a shooting victim. That’s why doctors should ask patients if they own guns or have access to them. Statistically, people with guns are more likely to be shot by one. Also, patients of a certain age group – like kids – are more likely to be victims. Those who say no, doctors shouldn’t question patients about guns, think that guns have nothing to do with healthcare because they’re not related to a disease. They argue that gun violence is not an epidemic, and it’s none of the doctor’s business whether or not patients own guns.

Legally, doctors can ask about guns if they want to. A federal appeals court ruled in 2017 that doctors in Florida can discuss guns with their patients. This overturned a previous ruling that blocked physicians from talking about gun safety with patients in Florida. Doctors across the nation were eying this verdict because it sends a message to physicians everywhere: asking patients about guns does not violate their second amendment rights.

When Should Doctors Ask About Guns?

If you want to question patients about gun ownership, when is the best time to ask? Should you ask all patients about gun ownership or is there specific criteria a patient should meet? Physicians offered a reporter for Time some guidelines that they go by. They hold off asking about guns unless a patient has a history of mental illness, drug abuse, or is a victim of violence. In these situations, many doctors feel it’s important to know if patients have access to guns. Also, studies show that patients whose doctors talked to them about guns and gun safety were more likely to adopt safer practices. Although some take offense to questions on guns, others embrace the conversation. Use your best judgment and gauge your patient’s reaction before pushing too hard on the topic of gun ownership.

How Should Doctors Ask About Guns?

Now that you have an idea of when it’s best to ask patients about gun ownership, here are some tips on how to start the conversation and what additional questions to ask. Like we said above, ask patients about gun ownership or access if they seem at risk of harming themselves or others. Many doctors don’t ask because they don’t know how. So, how should doctors ask about guns?

Ask about access or gun ownership along with your series of traditional patient interview questions. When you’re getting to know your patient by asking them about social habits like smoking, this is a good time to ask about guns. Another time to broach the subject is if it comes up naturally in the conversation. For example, if you’re questioning a mental health patient about suicide or intention to harm others, this can be a good time to bring up guns. You should also ask additional questions. For example, is the gun loaded, is it locked, who has access to it, and are there children in the home? This way you can counsel your patient accordingly or take additional action if necessary.

should doctors ask about guns

What do you think? Should doctors ask about guns? Share with us in the comments below!

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3 Comments

  1. What should a doctor do if they ask a patient about guns and the answer is none of your business.

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  2. What should a medical professional do if they ask about guns and the answer is “None of your business?”

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  3. I agree, it is none of their business what I own or have in my home is absolutely no e if your business. I went in for minor sugery after a fall and was asked if I was sexually active; I said that is none of your business because that has nothing to do with my surgery. What other intrusive question are next? Any question that does not relate to why I am at the doctor I say I decline to answer or that’s none of your business. And in the past 10 years with all the errors I have seen in my and multiple family and friends medical records due to sloppy documentation as well as now scanning results into a computer; I have other patients results scanned in mine and been misdiagnosed and wrong meds ordered. And it is a long fight to get them corrected. Then you have nurses and aides who falsify records to protect their jobs from their laziness or just pure incompetence, like they did to my mother for 2.3 years. You never know how those records will be documented or interpreted and used against you just out of pure retaliation. Just say I DECLINE to answer…but it will ALWAYS be documented that you “REFUSED” to answer.

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