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Mandatory reporting of gunshot wounds

Q

I work in the emergency room of a rural hospital. My manager recently circulated a memo about new legislation that requires hospitals to inform police when a client suffering from a gunshot wound comes into the ER. I have serious ethical concerns that this will prevent clients from seeking care. They’ll be afraid of being reported to police! What can nurses do to ensure that this new law doesn’t affect our ability to care for clients?

A

On September 1, the Mandatory Gunshot Wounds Reporting Act, 2005, became law. Hospitals and other prescribed health care facilities are now required to report to police, as soon as is practical, the following information about an individual with a gunshot wound:

  • the name of the client, if known, and
  • the location of the reporting facility.

The legislation does not indicate who is responsible for reporting the information. As a member of a multidisciplinary team, you may want to consult with your manager and hospital administrators about who is most appropriate to take on this new responsibility. Once a decision has been reached, document it as part of your organizational and/or unit policy for future reference.

To minimize the threat that this law poses to the nurse-client relationship, you and your colleagues may want to refer to your facility’s policies for other reporting obligations, such as those for suspected child abuse, to determine how nurses have met reporting obligations while maintaining therapeutic relationships with their clients. For more information on the therapeutic relationship, see the College’s Therapeutic Nurse-Client Relationship practice standard, which is available on the website.

The new gunshot-wound legislation removes the decisionmaking responsibilities from the health care professional by making reporting mandatory. The College, when asked to comment on the proposed legislation, raised concerns that compulsory reporting removes a nurse’s professional judgment to decide whether or not the police should be notified. The College published its response on its website.

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