Report Encourages Doctors To Overcome Reluctance About Gun Safety Questions
A paper published in Annals of Internal Medicine makes the argument that gun safety is relevant to patients' health, and, if warranted, suggests doctors actively talk about it with them. A number of states have or are considering statutes regulating the topic.
The Washington Post:
Have A Check-Up? Why Your Doctor Might Ask You If You Own A Gun.
A visit to the doctor’s office often comes with the sort of personal questions not asked anywhere else except, perhaps, the depths of an online dating quiz: How many sexual partners do you have? How much booze do you consume in a typical week? Do you smoke? Do you wear a helmet when you ride a bike? Is there a gun in your house? If that last query feels unusually probing, even for a medical exam, there’s good reason. The question is a bone of contention in states like Florida, where Gov. Rick Scott signed a 2011 law aimed at restricting doctors’ inquires about the firearms in their patients’ lives. Doctors who ask about guns, for their part, may fear finding themselves far afield from their comfort zones. (Guarino, 5/17)
