Firearm-related personal and clinical characteristics of US medical students.
BACKGROUND
Firearm injuries are the second leading cause of fatal injury in the US, and several medical specialty societies encourage patient counseling about firearm injury prevention. Because personal choices. influence physicians' willingness to counsel, it would be valuable to know how frequently guns are kept in the homes of physicians-in-training, as well as their perceptions and current rates of counseling about firearm injury prevention.


METHODS
At a nationally representative sample of 16 medical schools, we surveyed the class of 2003 at freshman orientation, entrance to wards, and during senior year.


RESULTS
A total of 2,316 students provided data (response rate = 80.3%). Among freshmen, 16% reported living in a home with a firearm, 13% did so at entry to wards, as did 14% of seniors (14% overall, women = 9%, men = 19%). Only 34% of seniors reported counseling their patients more often than "never/rarely" about firearm possession and storage.


CONCLUSIONS
US medical students reported substantially lower rates of household gun ownership than the general population, but their participation in firearm-related counseling is also low.
Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA. efrank@emory.edu
Erica
E
Frank
Jennifer S
JS
Carrera
Jason
J
Prystowsky
Arthur
A
Kellermann
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D005389:Firearms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010067:Ownership; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control