Dive Brief:
- A gunman shot and killed a doctor at the El Paso VA Health Care System in Texas on Tuesday, before turning the gun fatally on himself.
- According to Maj. Gen. Stephen Twitty, "All other VA patients and staff are safe. This is an active crime scene, and the shooting incident is under investigation."
- The FBI will be taking the lead on the investigation and the facility will remain closed on Wednesday. A motive was not immediately apparent.
Dive Insight:
Although we don't yet know exactly what happened in Texas—the situation may turn out to be unique due to its military nature—it remains a fact that hospital violence appears to be on a rise. A recent survey found that violence in hospitals is a growing public health concern, with the violent crime rate per 100 beds climbing from 2012 to 2013.
Incidents of hospital violence always raise questions about the role of the physician as it relates to gun control. In 2011, the American Medical Association suggested that doctors counsel patients on gun safety, but the call was met with controversy. In August, a US Court of Appeals has upheld a Florida law banning doctors from asking patients about gun use and safety in the home, arguing that such questions violate patients' right to privacy. The law threatens doctors with professional discipline if they ask patients about gun ownership, but offers an exception if the questioning is "relevant" to the patient's medical care. However, the statute does not define what "relevant" means in this context.
Want to read more? You may want to read this story on active shooters and other violence: How hospitals can prepare.