From Physician's First Watch, April 11, 2014:
ACP Recommends Physicians Take Steps to Reduce Gun Violence
By Kelly Young
The American College of Physicians recommends counseling patients on the risks of keeping firearms in their homes, especially when minors or people with dementia, mental illness, or substance use disorders live there.
In a new position paper published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the group says that physicians should also counsel patients on the best practices to reduce firearm-related injuries and deaths.
The ACP also supports regulating the purchase of firearms to reduce injuries and deaths, including universal background checks, waiting periods, and banning assault weapons.
Asked to comment, Katherine Bakes, an associate editor of NEJM Journal Watch Emergency Medicine, wrote: "Since physicians see the devastation firsthand, I believe we are obligated to be more outspoken and uncompromising against guns."
The
Annals of Internal Medicine April 10 position paper is available.