Nursing Science Could Help Reduce Firearm Violence and Its Impact

Newswise — PHILADELPHIA (November 2, 2018) – Firearm violence is a significant public health problem worldwide. In the United States, firearms are used to kill almost 100 people daily. Yet despite the staggering impact of firearm violence, there is limited research directed at preventing or addressing its impact on individuals, families and communities.

An article from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) and the Penn Injury Science Center frames firearm violence as a health and public policy problem and shows how nurses are in a prime position to understand the complex factors leading to firearm violence and investigate how to reduce its frequency and impact. The article has been published in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship.

“Understanding the factors that come together to injure people with a firearm positions nurses to both extend the dialogue beyond pro-gun versus anti-gun and to design and carry put rigorous studies to reduce firearm violence,” said lead-author Therese S. Richmond, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, the Andrea B. Laporte Professor of Nursing and Associate Dean for Research & Innovation.

In the article, Richmond and co-author Matthew Foman, a research assistant at Penn Nursing, illustrate the magnitude of the problem, examine factors that increase the risk to be injured by a firearm or how firearms confer protection, and identify relevant priority areas for nursing science.

Richmond recently participated in two-day conference at the National Academy of Medicine on firearm injury and death. Click here to see a webcast of her presentation from October 17, 2018.

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About the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing is one of the world’s leading schools of nursing. For the second year in a row, it is ranked the #1 nursing school in the world by QS University, and has four graduate programs ranked number one by U.S. News & World Report, the most of any school in the United States. Penn Nursing is currently ranked # 1 in funding from the National Institutes of Health, among other schools of nursing. Penn Nursing prepares nurse scientists and nurse leaders to meet the health needs of a global society through research, education, and practice. Follow Penn Nursing on: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram & YouTube.