A Prospective Randomized Study of the Efficacy of

Abstract

Background: From 2002-2011, there were over 17,000 shootings in Philadelphia. "Turning Point", Temple University Hospital's violence intervention program, takes advantage of the teachable moment that occurs after violent injury. In addition to receiving social work services, Turning Point patients watch their trauma bay resuscitation video and a movie about violence, meet with a gunshot wound survivor and an outpatient case manager, and undergo psychiatric assessment. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of Turning Point in changing attitudes toward guns and violence among victims of penetrating trauma. Methods: This prospective randomized study was conducted from January-June 2012. Patients who sustained a gunshot or stab wound were randomized to Standard of Care, which involved social work services only, or Turning Point. The Attitudes Toward Guns and Violence Questionnaire was administered to assess attitude change. Analysis was performed with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. A p < 0.05 was significant. Results: A total of 40 out of 159 patients with gunshot or stab wounds were enrolled and completed the study in its entirety. The most common reason for exclusion was anticipated length of stay being less than 48 hours. The two groups were similar with respect to most demographics. Unlike the Standard of Care group, the Turning Point group demonstrated a 44% reduction in its Aggressive Response to Shame, a 33% reduction in its Comfort with Aggression, and a 20% reduction in its overall proclivity toward violence. Conclusion: Turning Point is effective in changing attitudes toward guns and violence among victims of penetrating trauma. Continued enrollment and longer follow-up are necessary to determine if this program can have a long-lasting impact and truly be a turning point in patients' lives.