Disparities in Pediatric Firearm Injury Care: A Comparison of Chronic Illness Pathways

Pediatric firearm injuries represent a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the USA, yet clinical care models for youth with firearm injuries remain fragmented and unstandardized. Unlike other serious pediatric conditions such as asthma and cancer, which benefit from established interdisciplinary care pathways, firearm injuries are often treated as isolated events without structured follow-up or coordinated support systems. This absence of standardized clinical guidelines reflects broader systemic biases in how these injuries are perceived and managed within health care. Drawing on the Injury Equity Framework and established chronic disease management models, we propose comprehensive, trauma-informed clinical guidelines for pediatric firearm injury care spanning primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. These guidelines emphasize universal firearm safety screening integrated into routine pediatric visits, standardized protocols for acute trauma care with automatic interdisciplinary team activation, and structured longitudinal follow-up addressing medical, behavioral health, and social needs. By comparing current fragmented approaches to evidence-based care pathways used in asthma and cancer management, we identify critical gaps in continuity and comprehensiveness of firearm injury care and offer specific, actionable recommendations to close these gaps.