Determinants of U.S. poison center utilization

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Toxicology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Poison center utilization is linked to reduced emergency department visits and hospitalizations.
• Poison center awareness is crucial for maximizing these benefits.
• Penetrance (human poison exposures reported per 1,000 population) serves as a key indicator of poison center awareness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors influencing poison center penetrance.
• To optimize the life- and cost-saving benefits of poison control centers through improved awareness.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of human poison exposures reported to the National Poison Data System in 2001.
• Identification and ranking of factors affecting poison center penetrance.

Main Results:

• Overall and pediatric penetrance showed a strong positive correlation.
• Higher pediatric penetrance correlated with decreased healthcare facility utilization at the time of call.
• Factors inversely predicting penetrance included language barriers, Black/African American race, and distance; factors positively predicting penetrance included a young population, higher education levels, poison center certification, and population density.

Conclusions:

• Inverse correlation between pediatric penetrance and healthcare utilization supports poison centers' role in reducing excessive healthcare use.
• Race, language, and distance act as significant barriers to poison center utilization.
• Low penetrance indicates a lack of awareness, not necessarily a low incidence of poisonings, necessitating targeted strategies to overcome identified barriers.