Call poison center for overdose info
Next time you’re treating an overdose patient, make a call to your local poison center before you make a decision about decontamination, recommends Linda Courtemanche, RN, CSPI, director of the New Hampshire Poison Information Center in Lebanon. "Poison center staff and toxicologists are constantly evaluating and changing practice as the result of new data that is being collected and reported," she says.
Nothing is routine in toxicology anymore, Courtemanche stresses. "Each and every patient requires individualized care for their exposure."
Contact your local poison center for each and every human exposure to a poison you treat in your ED, Courtemanche advises. "The more clinical information about the specific patient that is provided, the more individualized information can be returned," she says.
Poison centers network
Through the Harrisburg, PA-based American Association of Poison Control Centers Association, the networking done by local poison centers is outstanding, Courtemanche says. "You can reap these benefits by contacting the center for each patient to consult about the exposure," she says.
Include the following in your discussion, she recommends:
• patient condition and vital signs at the time of the call to the poison center. Be sure to listen for bowel sounds to know if they are present or not to help with the assessment;
• estimated time of exposure if known, and if not known, that is an equally important negative;
• substance(s) involved.
New information and clinical effects of new drugs, new products, and even street drugs are continually monitored by poison centers, Courtemanche notes.
Poison centers continue to follow up on the patient once they leave the ED until medical outcomes are known, Courtemanche says. "Patient outcomes are followed throughout hospitalization or at home if the patient is discharged," she says.
The poison information specialist may know local issues, she says. "Furthermore, it enhances surveillance capabilities, allowing more rapid detection of new or unusual hazards," she says.
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