Implementation of a countywide adult suicide review commission: Development, lessons learned, and recommendations.

INTRODUCTION: Fatality review is a public health approach designed to inform efforts to prevent fatalities of a certain kind (e.g., suicide, homicide) or in a specific setting or population (e.g., hospitals, youth). Despite extensive literature on fatality review generally, the literature on suicide review teams specifically is scant. The aim of this paper is to: describe the implementation of a local adult suicide review commission, detail examples of initial outcomes and recommendations developed by the commission, and provide recommendations and/or best practices for how to develop and implement an adult suicide review team. METHODS: We utilize framing questions from the American Association of Suicidology's psychological autopsy framework. By using these guiding questions in the discussion, members are invited to explore not only the stressors that may have more immediately preceded the suicide event itself, but to situate those stressors in the context of the individual's life course. RESULTS: Several recommendations proposed by our commission have resulted in tangible outcomes and are detailed using Haddon's Matrix as a guiding prevention planning tool. IMPLICATIONS: We have highlighted the need to move beyond looking at individual-level help-seeking to focus on structural/systemic issues that result in stress or create unsafe environments for at-risk individuals.

Strengthening the Role of the NIH in the Firearm Violence Epidemic: A Modest Proposal.

This Viewpoint discusses the potential for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the premier research entity in the world, to significantly strengthen its investment in preventing and reducing firearm-related harms.

Linking emergency care and police department data to strengthen timely information on violence-related paediatric injuries.

BACKGROUND: Combined ED and police department (PD) data have improved violence surveillance in the UK, enabling significantly improved prevention. We sought to determine if the addition of emergency medical service (EMS) data to ED data would contribute meaningful information on violence-related paediatric injuries beyond PD record data in a US city. METHODS: Cross-sectional data on self-reported violence-related injuries of youth treated in the ED between January 2015 and September 2016 were combined with incidents classified by EMS as intentional interpersonal violence and incidents in which the PD responded to a youth injury from a simple or aggravated assault, robbery or sexual offence. Nearest neighbour hierarchical spatial clustering detected areas in which 10 or more incidents occurred during this period (hotspots), with the radii of the area being 1000, 1500, 2000 and 3000 ft. Overlap of PD incidents within ED&EMS hotspots (and vice versa) was calculated and Spearman's r tested statistical associations between the data sets, or ED&EMS contribution to PD violence information. RESULTS: There were 935 unique ED&EMS records (ED=381; EMS=554). Of these, 877 (94%) were not in PD records. In large hotspots >2000 ft, ED&EMS records identified one additional incident for every three in the PD database. ED and EMS provided significant numbers of incidents not reported to PD. Significant correlations of ED&EMS incidents in PD hotspots imply that the ED&EMS incidents are as pervasive across the city as that reported by PD. In addition, ED and EMS provided unique violence information, as ED&EMS hotspots never included a majority (>50%) of PD records. Most (676/877; 77%) incidents unique to ED&EMS records were within 1000 ft of a school or park. CONCLUSIONS: Many violence locations in ED and EMS data were not present in PD records. A combined PD, ED and EMS database resulted in new knowledge of the geospatial distribution of violence-related paediatric injuries and can be used for data-informed and targeted prevention of violence in which children are injured-especially in and around schools and parks.

Timing of Mental Health Service Use After a Pediatric Firearm Injury.

OBJECTIVES: To examine how timing of the first outpatient mental health (MH) visit after a pediatric firearm injury varies by sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. METHODS: We retrospectively studied children aged 5 to 17 years with a nonfatal firearm injury from 2010 to 2018 using the IBM Watson MarketScan Medicaid database. Logistic regression estimated the odds of MH service use in the 6 months after injury, adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Cox proportional hazard models, stratified by previous MH service use, evaluated variation in timing of the first outpatient MH visit by sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: After a firearm injury, 958 of 2613 (36.7%) children used MH services within 6 months; of these, 378 of 958 (39.5%) had no previous MH service use. The adjusted odds of MH service use after injury were higher among children with previous MH service use (adjusted odds ratio, 10.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 8.45-12.82) and among non-Hispanic white compared with non-Hispanic Black children (adjusted odds ratio, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.02-1.63). The first outpatient MH visit after injury occurred sooner among children with previous MH service use (adjusted hazard ratio, 6.32; 95% CI, 5.45-7.32). For children without previous MH service use, the first MH outpatient visit occurred sooner among children with an MH diagnosis made during the injury encounter (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.72; 95% CI, 2.04-3.65). CONCLUSIONS: More than 3 in 5 children do not receive MH services after firearm injury. Previous engagement with MH services and new detection of MH diagnoses during firearm injury encounters may facilitate timelier connection to MH services after injury.

Comprehensive Framework of Firearm Violence Survivor Care: A Review.

Importance: Firearm violence is a public health crisis placing significant burden on individuals, communities, and health care systems. After firearm injury, there is increased risk of poor health, disability, and psychopathology. The newest 2022 guidelines from the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma require that all trauma centers screen for risk of psychopathology and provide referral to intervention. Yet, implementing these guidelines in ways that are responsive to the unique needs of communities and specific patient populations, such as after firearm violence, is challenging. Observations: The current review highlights important considerations and presents a model for trauma centers to provide comprehensive care to survivors of firearm injury. This model highlights the need to enhance standard practice to provide patient-centered, trauma-informed care, as well as integrate inpatient and outpatient psychological services to address psychosocial needs. Further, incorporation of violence prevention programming better addresses firearm injury as a public health concern. Conclusions and Relevance: Using research to guide a framework for trauma centers in comprehensive care after firearm violence, we can prevent complications to physical and psychological recovery for this population. Health systems must acknowledge the socioecological context of firearm violence and provide more comprehensive care in the hospital and after discharge, to improve long-term recovery and serve as a means of tertiary prevention of firearm violence.

"I've given up": Biopsychosocial factors preceding farmer suicide in Wisconsin.

Recent studies have suggested that individuals working in certain occupations may be at increased risk for suicide. While occupation is an individual-level factor, one's work is situated in organizations, communities, and societies that are impacted by policies and systems. Analysis of existing data has identified that farmers are among those with elevated rates of suicide. This qualitative study reports themes that capture the experience of farmers prior to their death by suicide in Wisconsin. This retrospective qualitative study analyzed data from the Wisconsin Violent Death Reporting System. Data on farmer suicides that occurred in Wisconsin between 2004 and 2018 were accessed. Qualitative analyses followed an inductive thematic analysis approach. All study activities were approved by the institutional review board at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Between 2004 and 2018, 190 farmers died by suicide in Wisconsin. Five themes were identified in the qualitative analysis: "rugged individualism" clashes with a need to rely on others, interpersonal loss causes intense emotional pain and suffering, financial stress and strain overwhelm Wisconsin farmers, farmers are providers for families and communities, and alcohol and firearms are a lethal combination. Farmers who died by suicide in Wisconsin were facing significant stressors at the time of their death, many of which were not directly related to verifiable diagnosed mental illness. These circumstances varied, from physical health issues to financial stressors, to emotional pain from interpersonal conflict, and to access to lethal means. This study provides evidence calling for a public health solution to this issue, through changes at the policy, systems, and cultural levels. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

A Milwaukee Syndemic? Penetrative Injury and COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: This study sought to evaluate injury frequency of penetrative trauma before and after stay-at-home orders were implemented due to COVID-19 in Wisconsin. METHODS: Patients who presented to a level I trauma center from January 2018 through December 2021 with a mechanism of injury of firearm or stab wound were included. The study was split into pre-COVID (January 2018-February 2020) and COVID (March 2020-December 2021) periods. Statistical analysis included chi-square tests and interrupted time series analysis. RESULTS: A total of 1702 patients met inclusion criteria. The COVID group had a statistically significantly higher proportion of firearm injuries (83.2%) and a significantly lower proportion of stab injuries (16.8%) compared to the pre-COVID period group (70% and 30%, respectively, P < 0.001). There was no change from pre-COVID to COVID periods in in-hospital mortality or length of hospital stays. There was an increase in firearm incidents in the COVID period in 72% of Milwaukee County ZIP codes and a decrease in stab incidents in 48% of ZIP codes. Interrupted time series analysis indicated a significant increase from the pre-COVID to COVID periods in monthly firearm and stab injuries. Firearm injury significantly increased from pre-COVID to COVID for Black or African American patients but no other racial group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are consistent with other state and national trends suggesting increasing penetrative injury during the COVID-19 pandemic. The intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic and violence pandemic may yield a "syndemic," imposing a significant burden on trauma systems. Evidenced-based public health interventions are needed to mitigate the surge of firearm injuries.

Coordinating a National Approach to Violence Prevention.

This Viewpoint discusses violence-related US public health concerns and suggests creating a federal Office of National Violence Prevention to develop a comprehensive, coordinated, and sustained effort to address all aspects of violence in the US.

Risk of deaths due to injuries in travellers: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Annual global travel reached an all-time high of 1.4 billion international tourist visits in 2019. It is estimated that injury accounts for close to 25% of deaths in travellers, most of which are theoretically preventable. However, there are limited data available on injury occurrence and outcomes in travellers. Our objective was to better understand the relative risk of dying from injury that arises from the novel environments and behavioural changes associated with foreign travel. METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted (PubMed, Embase and Scopus) according to PRISMA guidelines that included studies published in English since 1990 that reported injury deaths in tourists per 100 000-person years or as a proportion of total tourist deaths in comparison to a non-traveller population. We also included studies that reported data allowing calculation of these rates. Relative rates or proportions of overall injury mortality, mortality due to traffic accidents, drowning and homicide were summarized. RESULTS: In total, 1847 articles were identified, 105 underwent full-text review, and 10 articles were suitable for data extraction. There was great variability of relative risk reported, but overall, travellers appear to have a higher risk of injury mortality than domestic populations, with relative rates of injury death ranging from 1.04 to 16.7 and proportionate mortality ratios ranging from 1.43 to 3. CONCLUSIONS: Tourists should be aware of the increased risk of dying from road traffic hazards, drowning and homicide while traveling abroad. Specific geographies and activities associated with higher risk should be emphasized. Travel medicine practitioners and organizations that send people abroad should counsel travellers regarding these risks and seek ways to reduce them, including encouraging potential risk-mitigating behaviours. There is a need to improve systems of data collection and reporting on injury deaths in travellers and to study the impact of pre-travel and institutional interventions aimed at reducing this risk.

Mental Health Care Following Firearm and Motor Vehicle-related Injuries: Differences Impacting Our Treatment Strategies.

OBJECTIVE: To compare new mental health diagnoses (NMHD) in children after a firearm injury versus following a motor vehicle collision (MVC). BACKGROUND: A knowledge gap exists regarding childhood mental health diagnoses following firearm injuries, notably in comparison to other forms of traumatic injury. METHODS: We utilized Medicaid MarketScan claims (2010-2016) to conduct a matched case-control study of children ages 3 to 17 years. Children with firearm injuries were matched with up to 3 children with MVC injuries. Severity was determined by injury severity score and emergency department disposition. We used multivariable logistic regression to measure the association of acquiring a NMHD diagnosis in the year postinjury after firearm and MVC mechanisms. RESULTS: We matched 1450 children with firearm injuries to 3691 children with MVC injuries. Compared to MVC injuries, children with firearm injuries were more likely to be black, have higher injury severity score, and receive hospital admission from the emergency department ( P <0.001). The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of NMHD diagnosis was 1.55 [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.33-1.80] greater after firearm injuries compared to MVC injuries. The odds of a NMHD were higher among children admitted to the hospital compared to those discharged. The increased odds of NMHD after firearm injuries was driven by increases in substance-related and addictive disorders (aOR: 2.08; 95% CI: 1.63-2.64) and trauma and stressor-related disorders (aOR: 2.07; 95% CI: 1.55-2.76). CONCLUSIONS: Children were found to have 50% increased odds of having a NMHD in the year following a firearm injury as compared to MVC. Programmatic interventions are needed to address children's mental health following firearm injuries.

The Association Between Repealing the 48-Hour Mandatory Waiting Period on Handgun Purchases and Suicide Rates in Wisconsin.

IMPORTANCE: Suicide is a significant public health burden in the United States. There is little understanding how policies regarding gun purchasing affects suicide rates. Wisconsin state legislature rescinded a 48-hour waiting period for handgun purchases, which took effect in June 2015. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether firearm-related suicide increased with the repeal of the 48-hour waiting period for handgun purchases in 2015. METHOD: We obtained data through the Wisconsin Department of Health Services via the Wisconsin Interactive Statistics on Health Query System. Suicide rates were compared by Comparative Mortality Figures (CMF). RESULTS: We reviewed all suicides in Wisconsin between 2012-2014 and 2016-2018. The rate ratios (R) and second generation P values (pδ) comparing deaths between 2012-2014 and 2016-2018 indicate significant increases in firearm-related suicide among people of color (R = 1.927; pδ = 0.0) and among Wisconsinites residing in urban counties (R = 1.379, pδ = 0.0). There was no significant increase in non-firearm-related suicide (R = 1.117, pδ = 0.092), nor in firearm-related suicide among White non-Hispanics (R = 1.107, pδ = 0.164) or Wisconsinites residing in rural counties (R = 1.085, pδ = 0.500). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the repeal of the 48-hour waiting period on handgun purchases in 2015 is correlated with the increase of firearm-related suicides among Wisconsin residents of color and Wisconsinites residing in urban counties.Key Messages:Firearm policies are associated with changes in suicide rates.

Implementing the Cardiff Model for violence prevention: using the diffusion of innovation theory to understand facilitators and barriers to implementation.

OBJECTIVE: Interpersonal violence is an ongoing, vexing public health issue. Communities require comprehensive timely data on violence to plan and implement effective violence prevention strategies. Emergency departments (EDs) can play an important role in violence prevention. EDs treat injuries associated with violent crime, and they are well-positioned to systematically collect information about these injuries, including the location where the injury occurred. The Cardiff Model for Violence Prevention (The Cardiff Model) provides a framework for interdisciplinary data collection and sharing. METHODS: This paper uses the Diffusion of Innovation Theory as a framework to present our experiences of implementing the Cardiff Model in several EDs that serve the Milwaukee area, and to detail the processes of data collection, linking and presentation across four different hospital systems. RESULTS: Implementing a city-wide data collection effort that involves multiple hospital systems is challenging. Viewing our findings through the lens of the Diffusion of Innovations theory provides a way to anticipate facilitators and challenges to Cardiff Model implementation in a hospital setting. CONCLUSIONS: Facilitators and barriers to Cardiff Model adoption in the ED setting can be understood using the Diffusion of Innovation theory, and barriers can be interrupted through careful planning and continuous communication between partners.

Gun Violence Education in Medical School: A Call to Action.

ISSUE: Gun violence is a major public health burden, adversely affecting patients, families, and communities across the United States (U.S.) and the world. To manage the burden of injury from gun violence and identify primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies, physician leaders must understand the biological and psychosocial aspects of this complex problem. However, gun violence and its complexities are not widely taught in medical schools. This Observation article details why gun violence education is not being included in medical education, offers an informed, science-based model for the disease of gun violence, and suggests methods to integrate gun violence education into medical school curricula. EVIDENCE: We surveyed the literature for articles addressing this topic and for studies on medical school education and curriculum changes. We also examined some of the resources commonly used in medical school for mention of gun violence. Finally, we conducted a query of the AAMC Curriculum Inventory to further see if gun violence is currently incorporated into participating U.S. medical schools' curricula and found that gun violence is not a topic discussed in any significant capacity at most U.S. medical schools. Only 13-18% of schools that participated in the AAMC Curriculum Inventory during the years 2015-2018 documented gun and firearm content in their curriculum. Any other disease with similar number of deaths and injuries would be considered worthy of inclusion into medical education curricula. IMPLICATIONS: Medical school curricula commonly adjust with the ebb and flow of disease. Although gun violence meets the classic definition of a disease and is a major cause of harm and death, it is not taught to medical students. We assert that gun violence should be taught and framed as a biopsychosocial disease, highlighting many opportunities for interventions across a team of health care providers and physician leaders. We strongly urge medical schools to evaluate their curricula, address this teaching gap, and train the next generation of physician leaders to address all aspects of gun violence.

Farmer Suicide in Wisconsin: A Qualitative Analysis.

PURPOSE: There is a need to address suicide among farmers in the United States and understand what contributes to suicide among American farmers. The purpose of this qualitative study is to analyze narrative data to uncover circumstances that were present in the lives of farmers who died by suicide. METHODS: This study leverages data available in the National Violent Death Reporting System. For this study, we examined all suicides that occurred in Wisconsin between the years 2012 and 2016 and were extracted from the Wisconsin Violent Death Reporting System. Decedents were manually sorted by the "usual occupation" variable in order to identify farmers. FINDINGS: During the study period, 73 farmers died, most of whom were White, non-Hispanic males. Four themes were identified in the thematic analysis: stymied by physical health issues, grief from loss of relationships, ready access to firearms in rural Wisconsin, and the burden of farming and the farm. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this study demonstrate how unique contextual factors lead to suicide among farmers. This study has implications for suicide prevention among farmers. Primarily, there is a need to address the accessibility of firearms, as their availability in a time of crisis has lethal consequences. However, suicide prevention programming that addresses access to lethal means must take the sociocultural context of rural America into consideration. These findings should also be considered as applied to health care providers that serve rural communities. Suicide risk assessment and management should consider stressors unique to farmers.

Homicide: A Leading Cause of Death for Black Non-Hispanics in Wisconsin.

IMPORTANCE: Wisconsin has the second-highest Black homicide rate in the country, reporting a rate of 37.57 deaths per 100,000 Black non-Hispanic Wisconsinites. Meanwhile, White non-Hispanics experience a homicide rate of 2.0 deaths per 100,000. OBJECTIVE: This data identifies a public health disparity that deserves further investigation. This study seeks to detail the mortality rate of all-cause homicide, firearm-related homicide, non-firearm-related homicide, and legal intervention firearm-related homicide; leading causes of death; average age of death; and years of potential life lost (YPLL) between White non-Hispanics and Black non-Hispanics in Wisconsin during 2000-2017. DESIGN: Wisconsin homicide rates, ranked leading causes of death, and average age of death were obtained through the Wisconsin Department of Health Services via the Wisconsin Interactive Statistics on Health (WISH) Query System. National data were obtained through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). Homicide rates, ranked leading causes of death, average age of death, and YPLL were compared by mechanism of injury, county of residence, and race and ethnicity. PARTICIPANTS AND EXPOSURES: The entire population of Black non-Hispanic Americans and White non-Hispanic Americans during 2000-2017 was included. For comparison, this was narrowed to the population of Black non-Hispanic Wisconsinites and White non-Hispanic Wisconsinites during 2000-2017. Exposure groups include all homicide victims during 2000-2017. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: We hypothesized that Black non-Hispanic Wisconsinites would have a significantly worse burden of disease compared to White non-Hispanic Wisconsinites, as well as Black non-Hispanic Americans. RESULTS: This study found that firearm-related homicide rates for Black non-Hispanics compared to White non-Hispanics were 14.6 times greater in Milwaukee, 29.9 times greater in Wisconsin, and 13.0 times greater in urban counties of the United States. Firearm-related homicide is the second-leading cause of death for Black non-Hispanics in Milwaukee and the fourth-leading cause of death in Wisconsin. YPLL per person for Black non-Hispanic victims of firearm-related homicide are 36.83 years in Milwaukee and 37.04 years in Wisconsin. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Our findings strongly suggest that Black non-Hispanic Wisconsinites endure a significantly worse burden of firearm-related homicide compared to White non-Hispanic Wisconsinites and Black non-Hispanic Americans. This study demonstrates a significant disparity in firearm-related homicide that should inspire policy discussion.

Medical student education for injury prevention: closing the gap.

INTRODUCTION: Injury is a major public health issue in the USA. In 2017, unintentional injury was the leading cause of death for ages 1 through 44. Unfortunately, there is evidence that the sciences of injury prevention and control may not fully and widely integrated into medical school curriculum. This paper describes a novel injury prevention and control summer programme that was implemented in 2002 and is ongoing. METHODS: The main component of the Series includes at least seven injury-related lectures and discussions designed to provoke students' interest and understanding of injury as a biopsychosocial disease. These lectures are organised in a seminar fashion and are 2-4 hours in duration. Kirkpatrick's four-part model guides evaluation specific to our four programme objectives. Trainee satisfaction with the programme, knowledge and outcome (specific to career goals) is evaluated using several mixed-methods tools. RESULTS: A total of 318 students have participated in the Series. Evaluation findings show an increase in knowledge of injury-related concepts as well as an increase in interest in pursuing injury-related research topics in the future. IMPLICATIONS: The Series is a novel and innovative programme that provides training in injury and injury prevention and control-related topics to medical students, as well as undergraduate, graduate and pharmacy students. We hope that by increasing students' knowledge and understanding of injury prevention and control we are contributing to a physician workforce that understands the importance of a public health approach to injury prevention, that implements public health principles in practice and that advocates for policies and practices that positively impact injury prevention and control to help make our communities healthier and safer.