Status of legal firearm possession and violent deaths: methods and protocol for a retrospective case-control study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This project links population data to the Wisconsin Violent Death Reporting System (WVDRS) to determine the extent to which firearm possession criteria are being followed as well as the potential impact of the adoption of proposed possession criteria. DESIGN AND STUDY POPULATION: Criminal justice data for WVDRS homicide suspects and victims and suicide decedents 2008-2011 and a sample of matched control group of driver's license holders (to characterise the state population) will be abstracted. METHODS: Individual legal possession statuses (prohibited/not prohibited) under each current and expanded criterion will be determined. Proportions of interest will be calculated from two-way contingency tables, and tests between groups with categorical variables (eg, criterion is met or not) will be performed with Fisher's exact or binomial proportion tests. Tests between groups with continuous variables (eg, number of misdemeanours) will be performed by zero inflated negative binomial regression. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve will be used to quantify the prediction accuracy of specific univariate or multivariate logistic model for prediction. Inverse probability weighting will be used for analyses that extend from matched controls to the general state population of license holders. DISCUSSION: Linked data sets and partnerships are challenging, but necessary for comprehensive public health research. Results of this study will contribute knowledge on the proportion of prohibited suspects and suicide decedents that used firearms in violent deaths and, if applying expanded criteria would have increased prohibited persons. This study will also investigate risk and protective factors for being a victim of homicide.

A Multistep Approach to Address Clinican Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior Around Opioid Prescribing.

INTRODUCTION: The Wisconsin Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) was implemented in 2013 to reduce the misuse, abuse, and diversion of controlled substance prescriptions. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate provider knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding the Wisconsin PDMP before and after study interventions. METHODS: An initial survey of clinicians, a focus group, pre- and posttests for an educational session, and a 3-month follow-up survey were utilized. RESULTS: Initial survey participants described PDMP use. Focus group themes included system, hospital, clinician, and patient factors. Educational session pre- and posttests showed an increase in provider knowledge. Follow-up surveys demonstrated practice change among providers. CONCLUSION: This study can be useful for health care organizations, state PDMPs, and prevention organizations in tailoring messaging to clinicians around safe prescribing and PDMP use.