BACKGROUND: Two-thirds of veteran suicides are attributable to firearm injury. Although half of veterans who die by suicide are seen in primary care settings in the month prior to death, little is known about how to promote firearm safety within primary care. OBJECTIVE: Describe veterans' perspectives on discussing firearms storage safety (FSS) during primary care visits, and identify key strategies for primary care teams to use in discussing FSS with veterans at elevated risk for suicide. DESIGN: Qualitative analysis of transcripts and notes from four veteran focus groups and from individual semi-structured interviews with six veterans. PARTICIPANTS: Altogether, 68 veterans participated. Three of the groups were associated with one Veterans Health Administration facility. Groups were diverse in age, service era, and gender. APPROACH: The goals of the focus groups and interviews were to assess acceptance of FSS discussions during primary care visits, identify facilitators and barriers to conducting FSS discussions, and identify strategies for primary care teams to use to effectively conduct FSS discussions. Transcripts and meeting notes were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. KEY RESULTS: There was general acceptance of having FSS discussions in primary care. Yet, most veterans did not support direct questioning about firearm ownership, which may trigger fears of having firearms taken away or limit access to firearms. Participants recommended primary care teams provide rationale for FSS discussions and be prepared to provide information on legal consequences of disclosing firearm ownership. Strategies suggested for primary care staff also included using a personalized, caring, and conversational approach rather than highly scripted or checklist approach, engaging veterans in a non-judgmental manner, and conveying respect for veterans' knowledge of firearms.CONCLUSIONS: Discussing FSS with veterans in primary care settings is a promising upstream approach that can complement other suicide prevention efforts, but must be conducted in a veteran-centric manner.
The OpenNotes initiative encourages health care systems to provide patients online access to clinical notes. Some individuals have expressed concerns about use of OpenNotes in mental health care. This study evaluated changes in mental health clinicians' attitudes and communications with patients after participation in a Web-based course designed to reduce potential for unintended consequences and enhance likelihood of positive outcomes of OpenNotes.Methods: All 251 mental health clinicians (physicians, nurse practitioners, psychologists, and social workers) of a large U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facility were invited to participate. Clinicians completed surveys at baseline and 3 months after course participation. Ten items were examined that addressed clinicians' concerns and communication behaviors with patients. Mixed-effects models with repeated measures were used to compare pre-post data.Results: Of the 251 clinicians, 141 (56%) completed baseline surveys, and 113 (80%) completed baseline and postcourse surveys. Of the 141 clinicians, 63% were female, 46% were social workers, 34% were psychologists, 16% were psychiatrists, and 4% were nurse practitioners. In final adjusted models, pre-post item scores indicated significant increases in clinicians' ability to communicate with and educate patients (p,.01) and in the frequency with which clinicians educated patients about OpenNotes access (p,.001), advised patients to access and read notes (p,.01), and asked patients about questions or concerns they have with notes (p=.04). There was also a significant reduction in clinicians' worry about negative consequences (p=.05). Conclusions:A Web-based course for mental health clinicians on use of OpenNotes resulted in self-reported improvements in some concerns and in aspects of patientclinician communication.
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