Compliance with poisons center referral advice and implications for toxicovigilance.
BACKGROUND
When Poisons Information, or Poisons Control Centers (PCC) give directive advice in response to general public calls it is usually assumed that the advice will be followed, but it is difficult to measure the actual compliance of callers to a PCC. Epidemiological data regarding the incidence of poisoning incidents (Toxicovigilance) often utilizes reports of calls to a PCC.


METHODS
Retrospective review of advice given to all callers to the New Zealand National Poisons Centre (NZNPC) from a defined area for the calendar year 2001. Callers to the NZNPC telephone hotlines who were advised to attend or not to attend the hospital Emergency Department (ED) were subsequently matched with actual ED visits.


RESULTS
The compliance rate for those advised to attend the ED was 76.1%, whereas those advised not to attend had a compliance rate of 98.7%. The overall compliance rate was 94.1%. Of the patients presenting to the ED with a potential poisoning, only 10.2% were referred by the PCC. The callers referred by PCC and direct ED visitors appeared to differ in some respects.


CONCLUSIONS
Compliance with PCC telephone advice is similar to the compliance rates in many other health interventions. Comparisons between populations calling a PCC and those self-presenting to an ED show that PCC data may not reflect the true burden of poisoning to health care systems.
National Poisons Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. docmartin@clear.net.nz
Martin
M
Watts
John S
JS
Fountain
David
D
Reith
Leo
L
Schep
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015277:Hotlines; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011039:Poison Control Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies