Analysis of initial requests for information of non-exposure related topics at a regional poison center

Regional poison centers have experienced continued growth for drug exposure related information. At our regional poison center, because of increased requests for information which is non-drug or non-exposure related, we chose to select a sampling of telephone inquiries to document such topics. We wished to document the demographics of the caller, the major category of information requested, the triage of the call, the pertinent history and quote of the call, and the interpretation of the call by our poison information specialists. Of the 164 calls sampled, the majority of the calls were initiated from a home site (89%) with an adult (79.3%) female (62.2%) asking for the information. Of the ten major categories of non-drug or non-exposure related issues, general medical information was most often requested (65.2%). The poison specialists' triage of calls required no follow-up in 72% of calls, however 5.5% of the callers were directed to an emergency department, with 12.2% directed to another health agency for additional information. As funding for all medical and health related resources becomes limited, it is important the public be made aware of its own utilization of public resources. This will enable a basis for obtaining financial support outside of drug-related arenas, will return a positive statement to the public that not only do poison centers consult on exposures; but also that the dollars spent are utilized in an extremely widened brevity of information for the publics consumption. This information will support enhanced budget requests for personnel education and training in areas of non-drug or non-exposure related issues.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)