A new review article published in JAMA underscores the critical need for comprehensive long-term medical care for patients treated for firearm injuries, which has become an epidemic in the U.S. fueled by years of rising gun violence. More than 48,000 people died of firearm injuries in the U.S. in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with 120,000 suffering from gunshot wounds that they recover from.
While emergency care protocols are well established, long-term recovery pathways for survivors—particularly in the outpatient setting—remain poorly defined and inconsistently applied, according to the review paper authors who are all professors of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM).
This review consolidates the latest evidence on the physical, neurological, psychological, and social consequences of firearm injury, excluding injuries to the brain and spinal cord. “We wanted to provide guidance for primary care physicians, psychiatrists, and rehabilitation specialists to help them manage the long term care of these patients to help facilitate a full recovery,” said study first author Bethany Strong, MD , an assistant professor of surgery at UMSOM who practices at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center .
Thomas M. Scalea, MD
“This review serves as a wake-up call,” said corresponding author Thomas Scalea, MD , Professor of Trauma Surgery at UMSOM and Physician-in-Chief at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. “We can apply our best trauma surgery skills to our patients, but the medical community must go beyond our acute care efforts to address the lasting effects of firearm injury—pain, disability, mental health, and risk of reinjury.”
Added UMSOM Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD : “Every day, 125 people in the U.S. are killed with guns, and more than 200 are shot and wounded. Gun violence costs our nation $557 billion every year, equivalent to 2.6 percent of our gross domestic product. These costs can be reduced by improving access to long-term health care and supportive services for gun violence victims, a disproportionate percentage of whom come from low-income communities where adequate healthcare is lacking.”
Margaret Lauerman, MD , Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at UMSOM was an additional author on the paper.
Watch the video of gunshot wound survivors discussing their long-term needs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXKC3cpFWMc
JAMA
Literature review
People
Sequelae and Care After Firearm Injury
23-Jul-2025
None reported.