A survey into the perceived usefulness of the NPIS poster "A guide to commonly ingested non-toxic substances"

A poster listing non-toxic substances was distributed to all accident and emergency departments in the UK by the London center of the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS). To assess the usefulness of the poster and its impact upon the information seeking behaviour of NPIS users, a survey was carried out by postal questionnaire. This is the first such user survey carried out by the NPIS. A total of 197 questionnaires were returned (71%). Of those respondents who had received the poster, 123 (70%) indicated they would use the poster instead of contacting the NPIS. A larger number (169 or 96%) indicated they found the poster useful; in these cases it was possible the poster would be used as a training tool. A total of 74 (39%) respondents had a policy of contacting the NPIS for every case of potential poisoning, and of these only 21 indicated that they would not use the poster instead of contacting the NPIS. This survey highlights the potential benefits of such projects for both poisons information services and their users, and the need for a full NPIS user survey in order that future developments are readily incorporated into existing working practices.