Penn Nursing receives $3.2 million to scale out a secure firearm storage intervention

The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) has been awarded a $3.2 million, 5-year grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) to scale out an evidence-based secure firearm storage intervention at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Firearms are now the leading cause of death for U.S. children and teens, driving the largest spike in children's mortality in more than 50 years. The study aims to keep children safer from firearm injury and mortality by promoting secure firearm storage.

The intervention, known as S.A.F.E. Firearm, involves a brief discussion with parents about secure firearm storage and offers free cable locks. While the intervention has been studied in pediatric primary care, this study will adapt it for nurse-led delivery in the pediatric inpatient setting.

Nurse-led implementation of firearm safety interventions during hospital admissions is a major opportunity to advance our shared goal of keeping kids safe."

Katelin Hoskins, PhD, MBE, CRNP, Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor in Penn Nursing's Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences

She added, "Advocating for children is at the core of pediatric nursing practice."

The study team will collaborate with both parent and clinician partners for intervention adaptation and design of the implementation approach. To test the effectiveness of the adapted intervention in improving secure firearm storage, as well as other firearm safety behaviors (e.g., asking about firearms where children visit and play), twelve medical-surgical units at CHOP Philadelphia and King of Prussia campuses will be randomized to either the adapted intervention or usual care group. Researchers will also examine implementation from the perspective of nurses.

"Children's hospitals are uniquely positioned to play a role in promoting firearm safety," said co-investigator Joel Fein, MD, MPH, Co-director of CHOP's Center for Violence Prevention. "Through the trusted relationship between nurses and our patients' families, we hope to make a positive impact on their safety and wellbeing." Co-investigator Dorothy Novick, MD elaborated, "This study has the potential to make a significant contribution to the field of firearm injury prevention and public health. Our goal is for safe firearm storage to be as natural as other preventive measures such as childproofing homes and buckling seatbelts."

This research is supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award number R01NR021259. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.