A demographic profile of the Specialist in Poison Information

In 1983 the first certification examination was administered to Specialists in Poison Information (SPI). This marked the first attempt to validate the status of professionals working in poison centers as a separate entity in the field of medicine and toxicology. Not all specialists are certified, therefore the process characterizes only a portion of those currently practicing. To establish a demographic profile of all SPI's currently practicing in poison centers, a questionnaire was developed and sent to all SPI utilizing the American Association of Poison Control Center's (AAPCC) mailing list. A 57-response survey encompassing a variety of topics affecting SPI's was developed and mailed to 607 currently practicing SPI's (288 Certified SPI's and 319 SPI's). Among the requested information were demographics such as age, educational degrees, years worked at the poison center, and percent of time spent answering poison calls. SPI's were also asked to identify whether their center was certified. Responses were then tabulated and analyzed. One-hundred eighty-three surveys were completed and returned. One-hundred twenty-nine (70%) were Certified SPI's and 54 (30%) were not, although 11 had taken the examination unsuccessfully. Fifty and three-tenths percent of the respondents had worked 1-5 y at a poison center, 35% 5-10 y and 14.7% had greater than 10 y experience. Fifty-six and three-tenths were nurses, 36.1% pharmacists, and 7.6% were classified as "other". This category included MD's, EMT's and those having educational degrees other than the aforementioned.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)