Kelen GD, Catlett CL, Kubit JG, Hsieh YH, et al.
Annals of emergency medicine. Date of publication 2012 Dec 1;volume 60(6):790-798.e1.
1. Ann Emerg Med. 2012 Dec;60(6):790-798.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2012.08.012.
Epub 2012 Sep 19.
Hospital-based shootings in the United States: 2000 to 2011.
Kelen GD(1), Catlett CL, Kubit JG, Hsieh YH.
Author information:
(1)Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response, Johns
Hopkins Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA. gkelen@jhmi.edu
STUDY OBJECTIVE: Workplace violence in health care settings is a frequent
occurrence. Emergency departments (EDs) are considered particularly vulnerable.
Gunfire in hospitals is of particular concern; however, information about such
workplace violence is limited. Therefore, we characterize US hospital-based
shootings from 2000 to 2011.
METHODS: Using LexisNexis, Google, Netscape, PubMed, and ScienceDirect, we
searched reports for acute care hospital shooting events in the United States for
2000 through 2011. All hospital-based shootings with at least 1 injured victim
were analyzed.
RESULTS: Of 9,360 search "hits," 154 hospital-related shootings were identified,
91 (59%) inside the hospital and 63 (41%) outside on hospital grounds. Shootings
occurred in 40 states, with 235 injured or dead victims. Perpetrators were
overwhelmingly men (91%) but represented all adult age groups. The ED environs
were the most common site (29%), followed by the parking lot (23%) and patient
rooms (19%). Most events involved a determined shooter with a strong motive as
defined by grudge (27%), suicide (21%), "euthanizing" an ill relative (14%), and
prisoner escape (11%). Ambient society violence (9%) and mentally unstable
patients (4%) were comparatively infrequent. The most common victim was the
perpetrator (45%). Hospital employees composed 20% of victims; physician (3%) and
nurse (5%) victims were relatively infrequent. Event characteristics that
distinguished the ED from other sites included younger perpetrator, more likely
in custody, and unlikely to have a personal relationship with the victim (ill
relative, grudge, coworker). In 23% of shootings within the ED, the weapon was a
security officer's gun taken by the perpetrator. Case fatality inside the
hospital was much lower in the ED setting (19%) than other sites (73%).
CONCLUSION: Although it is likely that not every hospital-based shooting was
identified, such events are relatively rare compared with other forms of
workplace violence. The unpredictable nature of this type of event represents a
significant challenge to hospital security and effective deterrence practices
because most perpetrators proved determined and a significant number of shootings
occur outside the hospital building.
Copyright © 2012. Published by Mosby, Inc.
DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2012.08.012
PMID: 22998757 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
