Emergence of Gun Violence as a Patient Priority

Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine: JABFM

article

E. Marshall Brooks¹  Sebastian T. Tong²  Alex H. Krist¹  Anton J. Kuzel¹ 

[1] Virginia Commonwealth University;University of Washington

关键词: Cardiovascular Diseases;    Gun Violence;    Medical Anthropology;    Mental Health;    PTSD;    Primary Health Care;    Public Health;    Qualitative Research;    Social Determinants of Health;    Virginia;   

DOI  :  10.3122/jabfm.2022.05.210283

学科分类：过敏症与临床免疫学

来源: The American Board of Family Medicine

【 摘 要 】

Purpose: Gun violence is a growing public health epidemic that disproportionately affects underserved and minority communities. Our study sought to document patient experiences of community gun violence as a theme that emerged in the context of interviews exploring community-level factors influencing patients’ engagement in primary care within the context of a larger study on cardiovascular health.Methods: We completed semistructured qualitative interviews of individuals with uncontrolled hypertension recruited from primary care practices serving underserved communities in metro Richmond, Virginia that were participating in a larger study on improving cardiovascular health.Results: Of 19 individuals interviewed, 11 discussed without prompting the negative effects of gun violence in their community. Themes that emerged included both the acute and chronic traumatic experience, the physiologic and cognitive effects of gun violence and the negative effects on ability to manage heart health.Conclusions: The effects of gun violence on not only cardiovascular health but also all aspects of health emerged unprompted in qualitative interviews about community level factors influencing management of cardiovascular health. Given the widespread negative effects of experiencing gun violence on health, family physicians could play an important role in identifying and managing the effects of gun violence. Future studies on how primary care clinicians can address gun violence in the caring for their patients comprehensively are needed.

【 授权许可】

CC BY