Implementing A Secure Firearm Storage Program in Illinois Health Centers in Partnership With AllianceChicago and the Illinois Primary Health Care Association (COMMUNITY ASPIRE)
Northwestern University
Summary
This randomized controlled trial will take place in up to 15 community health centers across the state of Illinois. Researchers will be studying S.A.F.E. Firearm, a program that aims to increase secure storage of firearms in homes with children. Specifically, S.A.F.E. Firearm includes a brief conversation between pediatric clinicians and parents about secure firearm storage and an offer of a free cable firearm lock within the well-child visit. Researchers will also study a package of strategies to help pediatric clinics incorporate this new practice. The strategies include training for clinic personnel and facilitation, or tailored problem-solving support. The questions the study aims to answer are: * How effective is the package of strategies at helping pediatric clinics adopt this new practice? * How effective is the S.A.F.E. Firearm program at changing parents' and guardians' firearm storage behavior? Some parents and guardians will be invited to complete a brief survey after their visit about their experiences receiving S.A.F.E. Firearm. Some community health center personnel will also be invited to complete an interview about their experiences with S.A.F.E. Firearm and the package of strategies.
Description
While some large health systems have successfully adopted secure firearm storage programs such as S.A.F.E. Firearm into routine practice, there is limited research on the implementation of secure firearm storage programs in community settings, such as community health centers, which serve large populations of Americans. These settings often face challenges such as financial pressures and high staff turnover, which were made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, before deploying a secure firearm storage program in this new setting, adaptation is needed. As part of Aim 1 of the grant fundin…
Eligibility
- Age range
- Not specified
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: Parent participants * Be a parent of a child ages 0-17 who has a well-visit at a participating health care clinic in the state of Illinois * Attend the child's well-visit Health care personnel * Be employed at a participating health care clinic in the state of Illinois * Aged 18+ years Exclusion Criteria: * None
Interventions
- BehavioralImplementation package (training and facilitation)
Training includes an initial presentation on S.A.F.E. Firearm, S.A.F.E. Firearm informational guides and other resources to support delivery, and recommendations for additional, optional self-guided learning resources. Facilitation will last twelve months at each site. It may involve 1) a pre-implementation readiness assessment for each clinic to identify potential implementation barriers and develop relationships with constituents; 2) kick-off meetings at the launch of the trial, at which clinic staff will identify how and where S.A.F.E. Firearm will be implemented within the clinic; 3) goal-setting within the first few months of the program; 4) trouble-shooting to address barriers identified during the pre-implementation readiness assessment and emergent challenges; and 5) designing a sustainment plan to maintain S.A.F.E. Firearm for future years.
Location
- Illinois Primary Health Care AssociationSpringfield, Illinois