Impact of Implementation of a New Weapons Screening at an Urban Emergency Department.
J Emerg Med
; 65(6): e594-e599, 2023 12.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37891065
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Violence in the emergency department (ED) setting is well documented in medical literature. Weapons can be used to cause significant injury or mortality, although there is a paucity of literature on weapons and weapons screening in the ED.OBJECTIVES:
The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of initiating a weapons screening process on the identification and removal of weapons.METHODS:
Multiple aspects of a weapons screening program were evaluated at 2 and 6 months prior to and after a weapons screening protocol was initiated at an urban ED. In the Pre-Screen periods, only patients primarily seeking care for mental health were screened prior to entry. In the Post-Screen periods, all patients and visitors were screened with walk-through magnetometers or wand metal detectors, and additional screening checks were initiated. The number of individuals screened and numbers of weapons found were measured. Descriptive statistics comparing Pre- and Post-Screen periods were performed.RESULTS:
Prior to the new screening process, 511 and 1701 patients primarily seeking care for mental health were screened, with 15 and 103 weapons confiscated at 2 and 6 months, respectively. After the screening process was initiated, 13,149 and 43,321 ED patients and visitors were screened, with 194 and 567 weapons confiscated at 2 and 6 months, respectively. Persons screened increased by 25-fold at both 2 and 6 months after implementing the screening process. Weapons confiscated increased approximately 13-fold and sixfold at the respective 2- and 6-month Pre- and Post-Screen periods, respectively.CONCLUSION:
Implementation of weapons screening significantly increased the number of weapons identified and confiscated prior to entry in the ED by patients and visitors.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Serviço Hospitalar de Emergência
/
Armas
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Emerg Med
Assunto da revista:
MEDICINA DE EMERGENCIA
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de publicação:
EEUU
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ESTADOS UNIDOS
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ESTADOS UNIDOS DA AMERICA
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EUA
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UNITED STATES
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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US
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USA