BeSMART Secure Storage Counseling in the Inpatient Setting

Launched by VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · Jun 26, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The BeSMART Secure Storage Counseling trial is studying ways to improve firearm safety for children, especially in hospitals. Firearm injuries are a leading cause of death among young people in the U.S., and many of these injuries happen when children gain access to unsecured guns. The goal of this trial is to see if providing educational counseling about safe gun storage during a child's hospital stay can lead to better safety practices among families. The hope is that this will reduce the risk of unintentional shootings and suicides.

To participate in this trial, caregivers must be the parent or guardian of a child aged 0-17 who is hospitalized in a pediatric unit. They need to be able to speak English or Spanish and have access to email and phone for follow-up assessments. However, caregivers of children who have been hospitalized for firearm injuries or have certain psychiatric conditions will not be eligible. Participants can expect to receive information and support related to safe firearm storage, contributing to a safer environment for kids. This study aims to provide valuable insights that could help prevent firearm injuries in the future.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria (must meet ALL):
• • 1. Provision of signed and dated informed consent form
• • 2. Caregiver of child hospitalized on a pediatric hospital medicine service aged 0-17
• • 3. English or Spanish speaking caregiver
• • 4. Access to necessary resources for participating in a technology-based intervention follow-up assessments (e-mail and telephone)
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Caregivers of children admitted for firearm injury
• • 2. Caregivers of children with a firearm injury within the last 3 months
• • 3. Caregivers of children admitted with a primary psychiatric diagnosis including suicidal ideation, self-harm, homicidal ideation, aggression, or intentional ingestion
• • 4. Caregivers of children who are admitted to a surgical co-management team
• • Non-gun owners will be excluded intermittently throughout the enrollment period based on proportion of gun owners enrolled. For every 30 study participants enrolled, 10 must be gun owners. Non-gun owner enrollment will be paused until 10 gun owners are enrolled and this cycle will repeat for every 30 participants enrolled at each study site.