Coupet E, et al. - Researchers investigated the volume and disposition of individuals with firearm injuries presenting to US emergency departments (EDs), to ultimately determine opportunities to deliver interventions to prevent recurrent injury. They took into account the trauma center presentation and injury intent. Only in a fraction of trauma centers, the existence of violence intervention programs was documented. Also, there was a lack of best practices for addressing unintentional injury in the hospital setting.

• This investigation was performed using the 2009-2014 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample.
• More than twice as many nonfatal firearm injuries as fatal firearm injuries are being reported in the US per year.
• ED may represent the only link with the health care system in many of these cases.
• ED may offer an opportunity for clinicians to provide interventions to prevent recurrent injury.
• Data have reported the existence of effective interventions to address firearm injury for assault (hospital-based violence intervention programs) and unintentional injury (counseling and safe storage).