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Our mission is to empower our patients with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions regarding their health and optimize the use of their medications through screenings, seminars, and consultations.
We will serve as a knowledgeable and trustworthy source by providing drug and health-related information in a confidential and professional manner.
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Poison Prevention
Contributed by: Shelly McCarthy, Pharm.D. Candidate
UMKC School of Pharmacy
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Each year accidental poisonings claim the lives of several children across the United States. In fact, there are approximately one million calls made to Poison Prevention Centers annually. Many of these calls could be prevented, simply through the education of parents and children about many household items and the danger they might carry with them if ingested.
In order to educate the children, parents must first be aware of what household items may pose a danger to their children. These items range from the more obvious household cleaning items, to less obvious items such as plants used as decoration around the house. Once a parent is aware of the possible dangers they have in their home, they can then educate their children on what items are dangerous and what might happen if these items are ingested. After this has been discussed, the parents can then take steps to prevent poisonings from happening.
Some helpful steps for parents to prevent possible poisonings are:
Go room-to-room discussing all of the potential hazards for children. Discuss them with all members of the household, including the children.
§ Household cleaning items
§ Laundry detergents
§ Plants
§ Routine medications (including children's vitamins)
§ Nail polish remover
§ Etc…
Keep all cabinets containing hazard
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ous chemicals locked or childproofed.
Keep all chemicals not locked or childproofed out of the reach and sight of children.
Keep all plants out of reach of children.
Be sure all medications are in a child-resistant container and keep all of these medications stored away from children's reach.
Be sure children are aware of what are "good" medicines and what are "bad" medicines.
Keep the number to the poison control center visible and near all phones. The toll-free phone number is 1-800-222-1222.
If an accidental poisoning does occur, it is important for parents to understand what steps they must take. Studies have recently been published that syrup of ipecac, once a standard of treatment in accidental poisonings, should no longer be used. The main reason for this change in care is because the efficacy of syrup of ipecac in preventing deaths has never been proven. In case of an accidental ingestion of a poison, parents should immediately call the poison control center.
Nation Poison Prevention Week is March 21-27, 2004. Anyone can obtain information about poison prevention and can get material to help educate both themselves and their children by going to the poison prevention website, which is www.poisonprevention.org.
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Co-edited by:
Sarah Kerner, Pharm.D.
Miranda Wilhelm, Pharm.D.
John Witt, Pharm.D.
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