Development and Preliminary Evaluation of an Education Program for Primary Care Teams on Discussing Firearms Storage Safety with Veterans

Background: Reducing access to lethal means is one of the few empirically supported approaches for lowering suicide rates, and safe firearms storage practices have been associated with reduced risk of death by suicide. Although there is substantial opportunity for primary care to assist in addressing lethal means with veterans, approaches to intervention and educating staff are not well documented. We sought to 1) describe development of an education program for primary care teams to help them discuss firearms storage safety (FSS) with veterans during primary care visits; and 2) conduct a preliminary evaluation of the pilot education program. Methods We used an iterative process involving veterans and primary care staff stakeholders to develop program content, format, and supplemental materials. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze data from focus groups and individual interviews. Following piloting of the program with 71 staff members in two primary care clinics, we analyzed pre- and post-training participant surveys of program satisfaction and attitudes and behaviors related to firearms safety. Results During the development phase, 68 veterans and 107 staff members participated in four veteran focus groups and four primary care focus groups, respectively, and/or individual interviews. The program that was developed, “’ Just in Case’: Discussing means safety with veterans at elevated risk for suicide,” addresses knowledge and skills learning objectives, and includes video demonstrations and skills practice. Survey data obtained just prior to the two pilot training sessions showed low self-reported rates of discussing firearms safety with veterans who may be at elevated risk for suicide. Immediate post-training data showed generally high satisfaction with the program and significant improvements in participant self-reported ratings of the importance of, and comfort with FSS. Conclusions The program shows promise as a means for educating primary care staff to deliver messaging about firearms safety to veterans. Additional research is needed to refine and evaluate impacts of this or similar training programs on clinician and veteran behaviors over time.