[Decisions to make when dealing with a medication overdose]

The management of a poisoned patient in the emergency department implies that the attending physician takes several decisions. Among them is the immediate disposition of the patient, that is where he is going to be observed, and ultimately when can he be discharged from the hospital. This article presents some key elements to take into consideration when taking those decisions. By example, these decisions are taken after a risk analysis. However, this is not without pitfalls such as with medications that can kill when a toddler ingested them in one unit or with medications with delayed toxic manifestations. Furthermore, during the patient observation or just before discharge, a social evaluation will need to be done. Moreover, if the ingestion is voluntary, a psychiatric evaluation will also need to be done.