One Minute to Save Lives: Teaming Up With Pediatricians to Secure Firearms

In the largest study of its kind, published in JAMA Pediatrics, scientists at Northwestern University, the University of Pennsylvania, Henry Ford Health and Kaiser Permanente Colorado tested whether pediatricians were more likely to have these conversations [about how to securely store their firearms] and offer a free cable lock — via an evidence-based program called S.A.F.E. Firearm — if they received a “Nudge” or a “Nudge+.”

The “Nudge” consisted of a prompt in the clinician’s electronic health record (EHR) system to remind them to have the conversation with parents during the well visit. In the “Nudge+” scenario, clinicians received this reminder via the EHR system and received support from staff employed by their health system who helped problem solve logistics such as where to store hundreds of cable locks or how to navigate conversations with caregivers.

“We know we can save lives, and this study offers insights on how to scale this approach nationally,” said principal investigator Rinad Beidas, PhD, the chair and Ralph Seal Paffenbarger professor of Medical Social Sciences. “This is a call to action.”