PSIS: Poison Substance Information System, a proposal

The formation of a Poison Substance Information System (PSIS) using existing computer databases is proposed. This would be an inquiry/response search system using interactive data communications. Chemical codes are the essential data elements that link the databases. Product codes allow easy and accurate end-user access to the system. Ten component databases are described. Two of these form the core of any PSIS, the other eight are of a type that can be attached to the system. Some of the databases need modification so that they can be used in the PSIS. For the most part, the modifications provide a natural extension of the database's capability and would not be done solely for the purpose of incorporating the databases into the PSIS. It is concluded that information is available in existing databases, and it is possible, with some modification, to link them into a comprehensive online poison information retrieval system.