Summary
Clinical toxicology and poison control have not benefited from the same epidemiological and demographical scrutiny that other health care disciplines have, because of the lack of a meaningful, appropriate database from which to undertake those analyses. Since the creation of the American Association of Poison Control Centers National Data Collection System in 1982 many of the former obstacles of data collection have been overcome. A system has been devised which apparently meets the needs of busy regional poison control centres willing to participate in data collection, and thus provide a large database of human poisoning experience. The data collected by poison control centres and maintained in the National Data Collection System afford a new, powerful tool with which to address issues of demography, epidemiology, risk assessment, product surveillance and regulatory affairs. While the system affords these potentials, certain limitations of the data must be understood so that the data are not misinterpreted. Additionally, we have attempted to identify strengths of the system as well as areas in need of improvement and refinement.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chafee-Bahamon C, Lovejoy FH. Effectiveness of a regional poison control center in reducing excess emergency room visits for children’s poisonings. Pediatrics 72: 164–169, 1983
Kleinbaum DG, Kupper LL, Morgenstern H (Eds). Epidemiologic research: principles, and quantitative methods, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1982
Lilienfield AM, Lilienfield DE (Eds). Epidemiology: foundations, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, New York, 1980
Litovitz TL, Veltri JC. 1984 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers National Data Collection System. American Journal of Emergency Medicine 3: 423–450, 1985
Litovitz TL, Normann SA, Veltri JC. 1985 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers National Data Collection System. American Journal of Emergency Medicine 4: 427–458, 1986
MacMahon B, Pugh TF (Eds). Epidemiology principles and methods, Little, Brown & Co., Boston, 1970
Rothman KJ. Modern epidemiology, Little Brown & Co., Boston, 1986
Veltri JC, Bradford DC. Adequacy and validity of data about acute poisonings. Public Health Service grant number 1 R03 HS03994-01 Al NSS, awarded by the National Center for Health Services Research, final report submitted March 1981
Veltri JC, Litovitz TL. 1983 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers National Data Collection System. American Journal of Emergency Medicine 2: 420–443, 1984
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Veltri, J.C., McElwee, N.E. & Schumacher, M.C. Interpretation and Uses of Data Collected in Poison Control Centres in the United States. Med Toxicol Adverse Drug Exp 2, 389–397 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03259873
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03259873