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Using Longitudinal Curriculum to Improve Psychiatry Residents’ Attitudes Regarding Firearm Anticipatory Guidance

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Abstract

Objective

Over the last decade, there has been an increased focus on firearm use in violent acts and suicides. There is no known published firearm safety curriculum specific to psychiatric training and limited guidance on curriculum development from national organizations. The authors’ goals were to develop a firearm lecture series that would encompass essential knowledge related to firearm safety and risk assessments and assess its effect on psychiatric residents’ interest and confidence in firearm safety guidance.

Methods

The authors developed a six-lecture series on firearm safety that was conducted over all post-graduate year (PGY) training levels and a grand rounds on basic firearm safety. All levels of psychiatry residents at one urban academic center participated in a pre- and post-lecture series questionnaire designed to evaluate attitudes related to firearm safety guidance. They developed and administered the questionnaire through New Innovations collecting qualitative and quantitative data for analysis. The quantitative analysis was completed using paired t-test.

Results

Forty-seven residents participated. Twenty-seven respondents met inclusion criteria: attended at least one lecture or the grand rounds, completed pre- and post-lecture surveys, and submitted their pre-lecture survey before their first lecture. After the educational intervention, there was a statistically significant increase (p<0.05) in interest in firearm safety, and confidence in all areas surveyed—risk assessment, safety guidance, and pertinent legislation.

Conclusions

The curriculum increased residents’ interest and confidence in providing firearm safety guidance. Areas of development include assessing the curriculum’s impact on clinical practice.

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Acknowledgements

The authors of this manuscript would like to acknowledge the following people for their essential and various contributions: Tiffany Paul and Diane Fusselman.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Isabel Stillman

  2. Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Sydney Ehrman, Anthony Amalfitano, Christopher Combs, Meghan Musselman, Ruby Barghini, Jaclyn Dietzold & Seetha Chandrasekhara

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  1. Isabel Stillman
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  2. Sydney Ehrman
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  3. Anthony Amalfitano
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  5. Meghan Musselman
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  6. Ruby Barghini
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  7. Jaclyn Dietzold
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  8. Seetha Chandrasekhara
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Correspondence to Isabel Stillman.

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Stillman, I., Ehrman, S., Amalfitano, A. et al. Using Longitudinal Curriculum to Improve Psychiatry Residents’ Attitudes Regarding Firearm Anticipatory Guidance. Acad Psychiatry 47, 461–465 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-023-01773-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-023-01773-x

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