Pediatric Inpatient Firearm Safety Study

Pediatric Inpatient Firearm Safety Study

There is currently no available data regarding using the inpatient setting as an opportunity to talk to parents/guardians about firearm safety. The investigators will be doing a pre-/post-intervention study to investigate the effect of an intervention (a 5.5 minute Be SMART video and written materials developed by the organization Everytown for Gun Safety), on parental/legal guardian knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding firearm safety. While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the safest home for children is one without guns, the reality is that there are families with guns in the home. This non-political video focuses on ways to keep children safe from firearms.

The investigators will also investigate any additional effect of physician-delivered counseling on parental/guardian knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding gun safety as compared to receiving the information solely via video and written materials.

Participants will be randomized to 1 of 3 groups (intervention, intervention + MD discussion and control group). Outcomes will be assessed immediately post intervention and in a 30-day follow up phone call.

Eligibility:

All parents/guardians of inpatients admitted to the Children's Hospital at Montefiore.

Exclusion:

Parents/guardians whose children are in acute distress or in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Outcomes:

The primary outcome is the change in parent/legal guardian's behavior over the past 30 days with respect to how often they asked whether or not there are guns in the home when their child/children goes to play in another's person's home, as indicated by a Likert scale assignment of an ordinal value (1-5, 1= never, 2=rarely, 3=sometimes, 4=most of the time, 5=always).

Secondary outcomes will include:

• Change in the primary outcome (intention to ask noted above) between the intervention groups (Be SMARTalone vs. Be SMART + MD)
• Demographic factors associated with primary outcome
• Description of general knowledge on firearm safety of parents/legal guardians of patients in our community
• Description of attitudes about firearm safety of parents/legal guardians of patients in our community
• Description of general practices regarding firearm safety of parents/legal guardians of patients in our community
• Description of parents attitudes regarding physicians discussing firearm safety with them

Inclusion Criteria:

-

Exclusion Criteria:

• parents/guardians whose child is hospitalized in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
• parents/guardians whose child is in acute distress
• parents/guardians who have previously been in the study