Advantages and disadvantages of combining poison control and drug information centers

The advantages and disadvantages of combining poison control and drug information centers are discussed. A major advantage of combining programs is a reduction in the overall cost of operation. Combined programs can share personnel, information resources, and sometimes space and utility charges. Combining programs can give the drug information service easier access to and justification for improved communication equipment and data-management equipment, and if it has an all-pharmacist staff, it can provide around-the-clock services. Combining programs can give the poison control service speedy access to the literature searching and evaluation skills of the drug-information specialist. One disadvantage, however, of a single staff providing both services, is that the staff may never achieve maximum skills in either discipline. Also, "jurisdictional" disputes can arise if there are two separate staffs. The more emergent nature of poison information requests may impair the efficiency of the drug-information component. The 24-hour expectation of drug information services can also place pressure on the poison information providers. The advantages of combining poison control and drug information services outweigh the disadvantages.