Firearm Screening in the Pediatric Emergency Department

NCT07482982 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2024-100
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 784
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Firearm injuries is the leading cause of death for children in the United States with approximately 5,000 children being injured or killed by firearms annually. Estimates show there are over 400 million legal and illicit firearms in the US, with approximately 43% of Minnesotans owning a firearm, and over 4.5 million US children living in a home where a firearm is stored loaded and unlocked. Due to the ubiquity of firearms in American homes, interventions that address safe storage can prevent a significant number of pediatric injuries and deaths. Injury prevention and safety counseling are integral parts of pediatric care. Pediatric providers already screen for and provide safety counseling regarding infant sleep location, car seats, bike helmets, and smoking. Firearm safety screening is a natural fit with pediatric practice. However, in the absence of a standardized process, screening for firearm access is rarely completed. In this randomized controlled trial (RCT), the investigators will identify the most effective firearm safety screening question(s) among caregivers of children presenting to the pediatric emergency department (PED) using a stratified, six-arm RCT. Under the assumption that individuals under-report firearm ownership, firearm safety screeners resulting in higher rates of self-reported firearm exposure will be considered more effective.

Conditions

Firearm Injury; Firearm Ownership; Firearm Safety

Keywords

Firearm safety; Firearm injury; Firearm ownership; Injury prevention; Pediatric emergency department

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Highest rate of report of firearm exposure.

  Per screener, which yielded the highest reported rate of firearm exposure

  Screener takes 10 minutes

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Rate of uptake of cable lock or lockbox in those reporting firearm exposure

  Each participant completed a one time survey in the ED. There was no extended enrollment or follow up. The survey took approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Study Arms (6)

Standard Screening

EXPERIMENTAL

Caregivers who receive Screening Questionnaire 1

Other: Screening Questions 1

If Firearm how stored

EXPERIMENTAL

Caregivers who receive Screening Questionnaire 2

Other: Screening Questionnaire 2

Firearm in places where child spends time

EXPERIMENTAL

Caregivers who receive Screening Questionnaire 3

Other: Screening Questionnaire 3

Is there a firearm, how prevented from shooting accidentally

EXPERIMENTAL

Caregivers who receive Screening Questionnaire 4

Other: Screening Questionnaire 4

If firearm stored in lockbox, cable lock, unlocked

EXPERIMENTAL

Caregivers who receive Screening Questionnaire 5

Other: Screening Questionnaire 5

How are firearms stored anywhere your child spends time

EXPERIMENTAL

Caregivers who receive Screening Questionnaire 6

Other: Screening Questionnaire 6

Interventions

Screening Questions 1 OTHER

The arm asks caregiver about firearm possession and whether it is locked.

Standard Screening

Screening Questionnaire 2 OTHER

Caregivers are asked modified questions about firearm possession and how firearm is stored.

If Firearm how stored

Screening Questionnaire 3 OTHER

Caregivers are asked modified questions about firearm possession and how firearm is stored.

Firearm in places where child spends time

Screening Questionnaire 4 OTHER

Caregivers are asked modified questions about firearm possession and how firearm is stored.

Is there a firearm, how prevented from shooting accidentally

Screening Questionnaire 5 OTHER

Caregivers are asked modified questions about firearm possession and how firearm is stored.

If firearm stored in lockbox, cable lock, unlocked

Screening Questionnaire 6 OTHER

Caregivers are asked modified questions about firearm possession and how firearm is stored.

How are firearms stored anywhere your child spends time

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Caregivers: Any adult in the PED may self-enroll through use of the QR code.
• Research Assistants will only approach families to facilitate enrollment for: 1) Emergency Severity Index (ESI) 3, 4, or 5; 2) ESI 1 or 2 with provider approval; 3) Families who are noted to speak English, Spanish, or Somali in Cerner

You may not qualify if:

• Under age 18

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota: lead

Study Sites (1)

Children's Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55405, United States

Location

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Masking Description
• Purpose: SCREENING
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: ED Staff Physician

Model Details: Model Description

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 13, 2026
• First Posted: March 19, 2026
• Study Start: December 15, 2024
• Primary Completion: September 4, 2025
• Study Completion: September 4, 2025
• Last Updated: March 19, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: SAP, CSR, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: Will be available from the time of manuscript publication (still awaiting submission), for 2 years.
• Access Criteria: IPD and supporting information may be accessed by emailing the study PI and requesting this information. This will be shared via encrypted email.

Locations

US (1)