Pediatrician advice

[Kalrog]

I have been going to a single network of providers since I was seeing a pediatrician. My children now use the same network - and even the same pediatrician for a while. At their well child checkups, a pamphlet has always been distributed regarding things that are "normal" for the children to do along with some advice on things that are good to do. Up until now, there has been no mention of firearms at all. That changed with my son's 5 year old pamphlet (still nothing in my daughter's 2 year old pamphlet). It was the standard "guns (and especially handguns) are bad and will kill your kids if you have any in the house. Don't let your kids to go any other houses with guns either." Okay, that is paraphrasing...

I want to raise a stink about this. I don't really expect anything to change, and I don't really think that this is something to switch doctors over as this is a network pamphlet and not a specific doctor pamphlet - and I like their doctor. But I do want to put the fear of something into their PR and/or legal department and would appreciate suggestions even though I am sure this is straight from the APA.

Things that I want to bring up:
1) Question their experts on firearms. If they don't have any firearm experts, then mention the potential liability of a trusted person such as a doctor offering advice in which they are not an expert.
2) Refute statistics that I am sure they are going to have used (probably including that doctors are much more lethal than guns yet I still take my children to doctors).
3) Boundary violations of giving advice in this area.

I will probably check to see if there are any other areas that I want to complain about (in addition to the firearms), but I am only asking for help on points to make from the firearms point of view.

Thanks!

[Wildscar]

That's ridiculous. Just goes to show what can happen when you get a group of anti's together on something. I understand that and uninformed child that find a handgun is really bad. But if he has had proper education of guns he would probably never touch it. Its the unknown that the lure and cause of most accidents. IMHO

[seamusTX]

Just some things to think about;

The American Academy of Pediatrics is vehemently anti-gun and has been for decades. Some of their leaders have stated openly that all weapons should be banned.

Physicians only see the downside of firearms: people injured or killed by accidents, violent crime, or suicide.

About the best you can do to counter that is to find the numbers of children injured by firearms versus cars, swimming pools, etc. You can also point out that possibly millions of violent crimes are prevented each year by armed citizens.

You can find statistics at http://www.GunFacts.info/ and many other places.

Watch out for the phrase "children and teenagers." A number labeled that way includes people up to 19 years old, who are adults.

- Jim

[Venus Pax]

I have also seen these anti-gun sentiments in ObGyn offices. They often give women questionnaires to see if they are being battered, and the "Does you home have a handgun?" is lumped in with the "Does your spouse ever punch you?" questions.

Irritating.

[jbirds1210]

AHHH, I can't wait to see questions like this! I will have a good time filling that out

"Does your house have a handgun?"

In every space not occupied by a rifle or shotgun!

[Venus Pax]

The next time I run across that question, my answer will be, "Yes, and I purchased and shoot most of them."

[wrt45]

I have in my files a form to be signed by a physician who gives out such advice. The general idea is that if the physician is going to give out such advice, they need to sign that they are trained and knowledgeable in the area of "expertise."

When I get back to my office, in a day or two, I'll see if I can't post the form.

That is, assuming I remember...........

[Kalrog]

I think a slightly wrong impression has been given on this (probably my fault). This wasn't a questionnaire that we had to fill out or anything like that. It wasn't even really advice from the doctor. It is a standard "well child" pamphlet that the network produces for each of the recommended checkups that they hand to you essentially as you are leaving the office. It also records your child's basic vitals (height, weight, ...). I didn't have a chance to talk with the doctor about this - I never get to read them until I am already home. Hence my desire to do a letter to the network instead of talking with the specific doctor about it.

I would appreciate the wording of the expertise acknowledgment letter though.

[austin]

The latest Handgun magazine from Guns and Ammo has an article on this indirectly.

Its based upon a study comparing criminals to normal kids and found out that how firearms are introduced to children has a great effect on the outcome.

The Pediatric's stuff is a one-size fits-all recommendation that makes no differentiation between inner-city squalor and lower-upper class stable homes.

It does not correct for the presence of handguns in the latter environment which prevent deaths and crimes.

[HankB]

About the best you can do to counter that is to find the numbers of children injured by firearms versus cars, swimming pools, etc.

Actually, it might be more informative to compare the numbers of children (REAL children, not 19 year old druggies!) injured by guns to the number of children injured by medical mistakes on the part of health care providers . . . IIRC, a study by Harvard indicated about 90,000 people a year in the USA die from medical blunders.

They often give women questionnaires to see if they are being battered, and the "Does you home have a handgun?"

This reminds me of a pro/con debate I saw on TV some years back . . . the host asked a pro-gunner, in reference to the retroactive gun ban for "domestic violence" records, "Do YOU think a wife beater should have a gun?"

The pro-gunner said "A wife beater shouldn't have a wife, but if he IS married, then SHE ought to have a gun!!"

The host didn't like that answer at all . . . most likely, because he had no witty retort.

[frankie_the_yankee]

I think a slightly wrong impression has been given on this (probably my fault). This wasn't a questionnaire that we had to fill out or anything like that. It wasn't even really advice from the doctor. It is a standard "well child" pamphlet that the network produces for each of the recommended checkups that they hand to you essentially as you are leaving the office. It also records your child's basic vitals (height, weight, ...). I didn't have a chance to talk with the doctor about this - I never get to read them until I am already home. Hence my desire to do a letter to the network instead of talking with the specific doctor about it.

I would appreciate the wording of the expertise acknowledgment letter though.

Doesn't matter. If the doctor, or his staff, gives you the pamphlet, you have a right to know that they have expertise in that area.

I wouldn't bother trying to produce statistics or studies to refute what the pamphlet says. That kind of junk science doesn't rise to the level of needing to be refuted, and should not be so dignified.

So basically it's, "Doctor, what expertise qualifies you and/or your group to dispense advice in this field? The reason I ask is that I have looked over all of the diplomas you have on your office walls, and I didn't see anything related to firearms, firearm safety, the risks and benefits of gun ownership, or on how guns should be safely stored. So I'm wondering as to the extent of your knowledge and training in this area."

And then, no matter what he says in response, I would come back with something like, "You know doctor, the transmission on my Harley "clunks" when I shift it into first gear. Any idea why it would do that? Do you think you could take a look at it for me?"

[Jeremae]

So basically it's, "Doctor, what expertise qualifies you and/or your group to dispense advice in this field? ..."

And if he answers "I'm an NRA certified instructor or IDPA/IPSC expert/master class shooter, etc" you get a new shooting buddy.

[Wildscar]

So basically it's, "Doctor, what expertise qualifies you and/or your group to dispense advice in this field? ..."

And if he answers "I'm an NRA certified instructor or IDPA/IPSC expert/master class shooter, etc" you get a new shooting buddy.

If that was the case he probably wouldn't be handing the fliers out in the first place.

[glockmav]

"Physicians only see the downside of firearms: people injured or killed by accidents, violent crime, or suicide."

Not necessarily so...when I took my CHL class, there were four people in it; my personal physician, his wife, his daughter, and me.

The pamphlet could be improved by stressing firearm safey instead of saying all guns are bad. Maybe some Eddie Eagle brochures from the NRA would be appropriate.

[seamusTX]

The pamphlet could be improved by stressing firearm safey instead of saying all guns are bad.

I agree. If they have a pamphlet that says "no guns in the house," most people are going to ignore it.

It's amazing to first-time parents how quickly a toddler can get into things that we think are secure (at least it was to me).

- Jim