How to respond to your doctor if s/he asks you about gun ownersip?

[Krogen]

Sorry Kim, but you crossed the line with ". . . you need to store them safely." While you mean well, and I don't disagree with your concern, you're preaching to the patient. With that simple "if" statement, you treat firearms as a health concern.

 

[Texan Scott]

How about...

"Not in about twenty years .... does this have anything to do with my prostate?"

 

[wickedsprint]

"No, but a lot of my friends go shooting and I was considering one since they look fun, why do you ask?"

Maybe you end up with a new shooting buddy vs initiating a conflict.

 

[buckhorn_cortez]

Has anyone actually been asked this?

Personally, not by a doctor. However, the last time I was admitted to a hospital (Dec 2012), the forms I had to fill out included a question as to whether I owned or had access to firearms. I left that blank, as with other questions that I did not want to answer.

However, to make up for it, and show them I was really trying to get into the spirit of their forms and answer as accurately as possible - I put my age down as 63.8333. I'm sure they appreciated the extra effort on that one...

 

[Green Lantern]

Here is the rub. If you don't answer, it is either then checked as a yes or refuse. Then, when your family members go to the doc, they answer yes. Now what. Early on in Obamacare, this won't be an issue but will in time.

That's why you make sure you and the family are all on the same page, whatever route you take with it.

 

[Kim]

Krogen--- You missed my point. I do not routinely ask or say anything regarding firearms PERIOD. There is no check list etc. I only mention it if I think I need to. I have been practicing for 20 plus years and I could count one one hand the times I have ever brought it up. If .gov demands I do it will be the indirect way I mentioned. IF YOU DO HAVE FIREARMS????? Not DO YOU HAVE....

 

[Airbrush Artist]

Will Emergency Room Doctors Be Inquiring?,Just a Thought

 

[Krogen]

That's all well and good, Kim. You example, however, of discussing home firearms storage in a medical setting is the problem. It's irrelevant to medical care no matter how infrequently you might bring it up.

 

[BoilerUP]

My son's pediatrician asked this when he was just a few weeks old, amid a bevy of other questions about cabinet locks, stairs, outlet covers, etc.

I looked her in the eye and said "Yes. Why does that matter?"

Probably seeing the look on my face, she said something about not being judgmental, just evaluating potential risks in the home and ensuring they are mitigated in the interest of safety. I told her my weapons were secure from my infant and any other child that might be in my home, and it hasn't been brought up again.

If my GP asks, answer will be the same - "Yes. Why does that matter?"

I'm not going to lie to my doc, but I'm not going to listen to a naive spiel from him, either. Answer the question honestly, then shut down any BS that might follow.

 

[Kim]

I do not bring it up unless it is relevant!!!!! My gosh 5 times or less in 20 plus years. Give me a break.

 

[Kim]

Firearms are NOT a health concern. I agree. I have also advised some patients to get a firearm, police report and restraining order. I would never just recommend a restraining order. I was a stalked ONCE. I carried a firearm and went to court to get a permanent restraining order. It was a total stranger.

 

[Hindsight]

I am a physician in a medium size town. I am also very PRO 2A. I do not think that firearms are a health concern, but I do think that the people that handle them are.

Physicians deal with all sorts of people, from company CEO's to mentally handicapped. I am not saying that one is smarter than the other, however I try to treat each of them the same, regardless of their status.

People lie to physicians all of the time. Are your following your diet? exercising? taking all your medications? wearing your seatbelt? child wearing helmet while riding bike? use any illegal drugs? etc. I think you get the idea. Most people are not going to give 100% honest answers all the time, and we accept this. If you are asked by your physician then just say no and move on.

Are firearms related to your health? No, but the people who handle them are. Mental illness with delusional behavior, bipolar, dementia, teenagers with poor choices/coping skills, suicidal people, and lead exposure are all reasons to inquire about weapons in the home. If you dont what to answer then say no. I have litigation to worry about and will have covered my butt.

Ya'll are paranoid about the government (I am as well), but I am also paranoid about family members.....because they contact lawyers when something happen. Bringing up firearms (routine or not) in a medical setting is relevant to covering me, and sorry it is about doing the best for you, but also about covering my butt as well.

@Krogen- do you really want to limit what you physician talks to you about in a medical setting? If the physician is wrong (which happens), why not teach them something? You are making the assumption that everyone with a firearm is a responsible gunowner.

 

[Stumpknocker]

Just say 'no'!

 

[buckhorn_cortez]

Will Emergency Room Doctors Be Inquiring?,Just a Thought

I have been in an ER twice in the past 1.5 years, and once in 1996. The doctors and nurses are so busy working on you that the only questions that have ever been asked are directly related to the problem they're treating

The only other questions were asked by the admitting staff to my wife - "Do you have insurance?" and - "How do you want to pay the deductible?"

 

[Krogen]

@Krogen- do you really want to limit what you physician talks to you about in a medical setting? If the physician is wrong (which happens), why not teach them something? You are making the assumption that everyone with a firearm is a responsible gunowner.

Yes, I do want to limit what my physician discusses with me - to medical issues. If we happen to be in a social environment, at the range, having a beer etc. then fine we can talk guns. In the doc's office, it's business. I'm paying for health advice. (I do mean me, not my insurance company. I'm on an HSA plan so it's my money!) I want the doc focusing on my health, not my guns. Office visits are so short I expect the discussion to stay on topic. Even if the doc is wrong, it isn't my place to educate him/her during an office visit on my nickle.

I disagree with your last point. I'm not assuming all gun owners are responsible. I've witnessed irresponsible gun owners in action. Still, I think the doc's office isn't the place to turn the irresponsible into responsible gun owners.

Now about privacy: I truly wouldn't care about the doc knowing I own guns. It's that dreaded data system. Call me paranoid (am I paranoid enough???? ) but once that info goes in the system I have no control over its disposition. I know I'm probably on lists and in databases already, but why feed more info into them? No good can come of that for me. Currently we have privacy laws, but those could be repealed in the future. It's the same argument we use against gun registration.

This issue puts me in an ethical dilemma. Thankfully it hasn't come up yet. I'm not a liar, so "no" is a problematic answer. "NOYDB" and "yes" are equivalent. I really just want the doc, in the office, to be silent about guns. Shades of "don't ask - don't tell" I suppose.

 

[RevLouM]

My family doctor and I have hunted together. He already knows. He will check "no".

Any other doctor I encounter will be told no. It's that simple.

What are they prepared to do? Add 4473's to our medical records?

I think there would be some serious public issues should they try and mandate that.

 

[Crashbox]

It's none of my doctor's business- never has been, never will be.

 

[easyg]

they tell me they are thinking about killing themselves. Then they go straight to evaluation by a mental health professional either voluntary or not.

Why?

The very notion of being subjected to an involuntary mental health evaluation is probably why so few folks are willing to tell their physician when they are feeling suicidal.

 

[303tom]

Almost all of the professionals I deal with are avid hunters & or collectors.............

 

[Inebriated]

21 years of going to the doctor, never been asked. If I am, I'll likely say "no".

 

[joecil]

The question has never come up and if it did I would ask them what business was it of theirs either way and it isn't.

 

[hueyville]

I work as a volunteer with our local EMA, GEMA, FEMA and local regional hospital in disaster situations. My primary care specialist is an avid hunter and shooter. I was talking to my internest about possible scenarios during a pandemic outbreak and how he could be a target for someone desperate for meds during an outbreak. I took him to the range and spent the day burning powder. That was in November. The next week I took him to the toy store and he purchased three Sig Saur's, two Khars, and two Ruger pistols. We went across town and picked up a 12 gauge Benelli for him and a 20 gauge 870 for his wife. Stocked him up on practice and defense ammo. Less than a month later full panic hits and prices go nutts and shelves empty. He is a very happy doctor and now loves the sport.

 

[Ric]

Two words
"Boundary violation"
They won't ask again

 

[zorro45]

Gee, I use a variant of this if I get pulled over for an unconstitutional "roadblock" or small difference of interpretation of the traffic laws. If the officer wants to look around inside my vehicle, I respond Officer, do you mind if I go to your home and/or personal vehicle and just have a "look around"? (last time this was a very cute female trooper, and I didn't get a ticket).

 

[Hindsight]

Yes, I do want to limit what my physician discusses with me - to medical issues....In the doc's office, it's business. I'm paying for health advice.

Do your hobbies, activities, and social choices not affect your health? Now I absolutely agree that if your doctor "focuses" the entire checkup on "only guns" then that is ridiculous. The question is for risk stratification in my mind. If looking at heart disease I am not going to ask about guns, but I will ask about family history, exercise, diet, job stress, etc. If you come in with problem where a gun may be used to cause harm, then absolutely I am going to ask. Am I the perfect doc, not by a long shot, but I do try to do my best for my patients.

Still, I think the doc's office isn't the place to turn the irresponsible into responsible gun owners.

Where or when should we educate people? Honestly a 5 second blurb on gun safety can start the process. Many times this little blurb will spur the patient to ask a question that they have been reluctant to ask. I agree that office is not the best place to teach gun safety, but broaching the subject can lead to referring them to a range or instructor for further "proper" instruction. I learned more about girls from my dad while cutting firewood than I ever did in a bar.

Now about privacy: I truly wouldn't care about the doc knowing I own guns. It's that dreaded data system

Krogen, this we can agree on. The government is mandating electronic medical records be used for patient encounters. Now you and I both know that it is not for "better patient care" or for "reduction in medical errors". This is purely for data mining on docs and patients. You are concerned about being on a list or in a database, and you should be. Once that data/information is placed in the system, it goes to cyberspace waiting to be pulled out, tallied, logged, and interpreted by the powers that be. So yes be paranoid, and believe me sometimes we wish patients would lie to us just so we would not have to hear/deal with the truth.

I do appreciate your opinions and your points regarding where you stand on this issue. I do not begrudge anyone for standing up for what they believe in, and will respect them more for it. You have given several points to think about, a viewpoint from the other side of the stethoscope, and I hope that I have done the same for you. Without conflict there is no progress, without questions there are no answers, and without debate there is no understanding.