Poisoning prevention education during emergency department visits for childhood poisoning

Childhood poisoning represents a major public health problem that can be prevented through educational efforts. Commonly, young children experiencing a first poisoning episode will have a second occurrence. The aim of this study is to assess whether caretakers of children evaluated in an emergency department for acute poisoning exposure recall receiving poisoning prevention education as part of the medical encounter.

Consecutive poisoning exposures reported to a regional Poison Control Center concerning children under the age of 6 years were identified. Inclusion criteria were an emergency department referral and subsequent discharge. Within 10 days of emergency department visit, a single trained interviewer administered by telephone a scripted questionnaire concerning the provision of poisoning prevention education. Poison control center logs were reviewed for demographic and treatment data.

Of 102 eligible subjects, 77 families were contacted and 75 participated. The median age of poison exposure was 2 years; 45% were male. Seventy-three percent (95% CI: 61% to 83%) of caregivers reported receiving no poisoning prevention education. Among the minority receiving some information, only 25% received verbal instruction. Caregivers of children treated in urban academic centers were more likely to recall prevention education than those treated at suburban and rural hospitals (RR = 5.4; 1.8 to 16.2). Caregivers of children treated at specialized children's hospitals were more likely recall prevention education than general hospitals (RR = 5.3; 1.6 to 17.7).

Emergency department personnel are missing a potentially important opportunity to provide poisoning prevention education to families of children at high risk for repeat occurrence.