ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Sanjay Batish, MD; Anna Gilbert, BS; Cory B. Lutgen, MHA; Jason E. Goldstick, PhD; Christina M. Hester, PhD, MPH; Elisabeth Callen, PhD, PStat
Corresponding Author: Sanjay Batish, MD; Batish Family Medicine
Email: sb.batish@gmail.com
DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2024.240363R1
Keywords: Accident Prevention, Adolescent, Exposure to Violence, Firearms, Gun Violence, Interpersonal Violence, Primary Health Care, Screening, Surveys and Questionnaires
Dates: Submitted: 10-01-2024; Revised: 05-01-2025; Accepted: 05-19-2025
Status: In production.
INTRODUCTION: Firearm violence now accounts for more than 45,000 deaths annually in America, making it the leading cause of death in the pediatric population. Despite this, primary care physicians (PCPs) lack screening tools to assess a patient’s future risk of gun violence, hampering the ability to allocate resources that could prevent morbidity and mortality.
METHODS: Longitudinal quantitative study designed to evaluate whether the SaFETy score and other measures could predict gun violence exposure over six months in a non-urban primary care (PC) based adolescent-young adult population.
RESULTS: 88 patients between the ages of 14-24 completed the baseline questionnaire and 62 completed the six-month questionnaire. 45% of participants had a SaFETy score >0. Any score >0 indicates an increased risk of future firearm violence. A strong correlation was found between the SaFETy score and gun violence exposure, and ACEs (Adverse Childhood Events).
CONCLUSIONS: This was among the first studies attempting to assess the viability of screening for firearm violence and other associated risk factors in a non-urban PC setting. Our findings suggest that adolescent and young adult PC patients are willing to disclose in a survey topics related to violence and firearms with their PCP. If validated in the PC setting, the SaFETy score could become a crucial tool for PCPs given the ease with which it can be implemented into a routine visit and the non-threatening, and non-confrontational question design. Tools such as the SaFETy score can provide PCPs with vital insight into their patients’ past gun violence exposures and future violence risks.