Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Language

English

Publication Date

1-1-2025

Journal

PLoS One

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0325569

PMID

40601592

PMCID

PMC12221051

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

7-2-2025

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

Firearm violence is a leading cause of injury and mortality in the United States. Hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) are a promising public health strategy designed to reduce recurrent violence by engaging patients during hospitalization and connecting them to support services after discharge. This protocol describes the design and implementation of the Houston Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program (Houston-HVIP), which will be evaluated by a randomized controlled trial conducted at a Level 1 trauma center in Houston, Texas. The study plans to enroll individuals aged 16-35 who present with gunshot wounds (GSW) at the Level 1 trauma center. Participants are randomized to either a treatment group receiving six months of intensive case management with direct referrals to social services or a control group receiving usual care, which involves indirect referral and limited case management. The primary outcome is a composite measure of an individual's exposure to firearm violence via (a) self-report, (b) hospital admission records, and (c) mortality records. Secondary outcomes measured at the individual level assess violent reinjury, attitudes toward violence, post-traumatic stress, aggression, and self-rated health. Outcomes are assessed at baseline and 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-months post-enrollment. The study will enroll 274 participants and include both quantitative and qualitative assessments to evaluate program impact and participant experience. This protocol aims to contribute to the design and implementation of HVIPs in large Level 1 trauma centers.

Keywords

Adolescent, Adult, Female, Humans, Male, Young Adult, Hospitalization, Texas, Trauma Centers, Violence, Wounds, Gunshot, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

Published Open-Access

yes

Download

Included in

Public Health Commons

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.