Firearm injuries are a major public health concern with much focus on injuries due to violent crimes in urban areas. Less focus has been on self-inflicted injuries and rural settings. This study included 201 patients, of which 124 (61.7%) were accidental and 77 (38.3%) were intentional self-inflicted gunshot wounds (GSWs) sustained over 6 years at a rural level 1 trauma center. Injury severity scores (P < .001), hospital days (P < .001), and mortality (P < .001) were significantly higher among intentional self-inflicted GSWs. Injuries to the head were the most common injury among patients with intentional self-inflicted GSWs (P < .001).Accidental and intentional self-inflicted GSWs make up a large portion of firearm injuries seen at our rural level 1 trauma center, and defining these injuries can facilitate the need for targeted gun safety and injury prevention efforts.
Keywords: gunshot; rural; trauma.