Book contents
- Urban Emergency Medicine
- Urban Emergency Medicine
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- Chapter 1 Caring for the Homeless
- Chapter 2 Disruptive and Dangerous Agitation
- Chapter 3 Penetrating Trauma
- Chapter 4 Substance Use
- Chapter 5 Human Trafficking
- Chapter 6 Travelers from Overseas
- Chapter 7 HIV, AIDS, and Tuberculosis
- Chapter 8 Asthma
- Chapter 9 Physician/Patient Discordance
- Chapter 10 LGBTQIA+ Care
- Chapter 11 Child Maltreatment
- Chapter 12 Care of Vulnerable Elders
- Chapter 13 Civil Unrest: Caring for Police and Protesters
- Chapter 14 Terrorism and Mass Casualty Incidents
- Chapter 15 Overcrowding, Triage, and Care Rationing
- Index
- References
Chapter 3 - Penetrating Trauma
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 July 2023
- Urban Emergency Medicine
- Urban Emergency Medicine
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- Chapter 1 Caring for the Homeless
- Chapter 2 Disruptive and Dangerous Agitation
- Chapter 3 Penetrating Trauma
- Chapter 4 Substance Use
- Chapter 5 Human Trafficking
- Chapter 6 Travelers from Overseas
- Chapter 7 HIV, AIDS, and Tuberculosis
- Chapter 8 Asthma
- Chapter 9 Physician/Patient Discordance
- Chapter 10 LGBTQIA+ Care
- Chapter 11 Child Maltreatment
- Chapter 12 Care of Vulnerable Elders
- Chapter 13 Civil Unrest: Caring for Police and Protesters
- Chapter 14 Terrorism and Mass Casualty Incidents
- Chapter 15 Overcrowding, Triage, and Care Rationing
- Index
- References
Summary
Gun violence is a public health crisis. In 2020, America had the highest number of deaths due to gun violence on record. Gun violence and stabbings were the second and fifth causes of violence-related deaths in the United States, respectively. There were 45,222 gun deaths in the United States, with suicide comprising 54% and homicides comprising 43% of those deaths. While 30% of American adults report owning a gun, 52% of non-gun owners could see themselves owning a gun in the future. Urban areas are particularly affected by gun violence. In 2015, 81% of the 12,979 firearm homicides that occurred in the US occurred in cities. In the urban trauma setting, penetrating trauma disproportionately impacts the pre-existing violence in these areas. During the COVID-19 global pandemic, emergency departments have seen a rise in trauma admissions. This exacerbation of violence may correlate with the economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher poverty rates in these areas contribute to the crime and increased prevalence of penetrating injury. This upsurge of trauma is particularly salient in urban hospital settings, where there is a concentration of violent injuries.
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- Urban Emergency Medicine , pp. 26 - 38Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023