When should people call poison control instead of 911?

[LucidResq]

So this morning on the Today show they did a segment on children and household poisons ("oh my god! that ammonia looks just like gatorade! lock everything!") and a suggestion they made was a little unsettling to me.

They said (and I believe someone from a poison control center also said) that a parent should call poison control instead of 911 if their child (or anyone) has ingested poison, unless they are not breathing, unconscious, or seizing (in those cases 911 should be called). They said that the vast majority of poisonings can be treated at home.

Hmmm... is it me or is that suggestion a little irresponsible? What if a child ingested poison and it's causing difficulty breathing, intense pain, burns, or altered mentation?

I mean the thing I really had a problem with was that they said call 911 if the child is NOT breathing, versus having difficulty breathing. What happens if the tyke is struggling to breathe so Mom calls poison control and while she's gabbing with them he stops breathing?

 

[KEVD18]

i would imagine that teh poison control operators go through a system similiar to emd to asses the patient. if they dont, they should.

it hardly matters. i have no doubt that people will still call 911 when they dont need to

 

[seanm028]

I think it makes sense. If they are A&Ox4 and breathing w/o difficulty, call poison control first. The "poison" might not really be poisonous in certain doses or other situations, and poison control operators will most likely know better than an EMT.

What's the worst that could happen, they tell you to hang up and call 911? You've wasted 15 seconds. If the situation is really critical enough that 15 seconds could be the difference between life and death, then an ambulance probably won't make a difference.

What are the benefits? Less unnecessary strain on the 911 system and local EDs, less bills for the parents, less middle-of-the-night calls for us.

 

[skyemt]

i saw the segment, and i do think you are taking it too literally... they didn't have time to go through the hundreds of different scenarios.

the basic message that i got from it:

if you think your child might have ingested something bad, call poison control.

if your child looks bad, call 911.

pretty straightforward to me...

i do believe that when faced with a child in distress, a parent is going to call 911. they are trying to ease strain on the system by calling poison control, when you are afraid they might have taken something bad, or too much of something, but they are still acting all right.

 

[JJR512]

There are ads on the radio around here (Baltimore/DC metro area) that advise people to call poison control, and the number is given (actually it's sung...), if poisoning is suspected or known.

 

[ccmedoc]

I think the prudent thing to do would be call 911 THEN call poison control. I believe that most operators at the poison control will advise the caller to call 911, as over the phone triage is just too difficult and potentially fraught with complications.

This approach would prevent the medics from having to phone the poison control..

I think it makes sense. If they are A&Ox4 and breathing w/o difficulty, call poison control first. The "poison" might not really be poisonous in certain doses or other situations, and poison control operators will most likely know better than an EMT.

Our paramedics are taught to call poison control, or to advise the ED of the substance so they can facilitate the call. It is not the poisoning that needs treated in most instances, but the secondary complications (burns, ulcerations, hypoxia, etc) . A lot physicians do not know the complications of most chemicals or poisons..

Children go bad very quickly, so to wait until they look bad can be a tragic mistake.

I didn't see the segment, but this is my opinion..

 

[reaper]

Yes, I say call 911 first. Our dispatch will try and find out what was ingested and relay it to us, en route.

I can then call posion control, before arrival. This does help in the treatment.

 

[ffemt8978]

i would imagine that teh poison control operators go through a system similiar to emd to asses the patient. if they dont, they should.

it hardly matters. i have no doubt that people will still call 911 when they dont need to

Yes they do, and then some. For example, the hospital I worked at in Iowa was home to the state poison control center and I used to stop in and visit them periodically. They were all RN's with several years of experience and access to more information about chemicals and poisons than you thought possible. In addition, they had the ability to have EMS dispatched if necessary while still taking the call.

 

[LucidResq]

Good points, everyone. I can definitely see why the advice given on the show wasn't horrible.

I have no concern about the competency of the poison control operators at all, the only thing that concerns me is the idea of some idiot parent conveying the wrong information about their child's condition, leading the poison control operators to believe everything is pretty much okay when it may not be.

This does seem like a pretty remote possibility, though.

 

[Ridryder911]

Hmmmm let's see the people that man the Poison Control here have Doctrates in Pharmacy and the EMS have?

I usually ask "have you called poison control yet?' .. I agree majority of poison ingested can be treated at home and definitely does NOT need EMS or even the ER.

Matter of fact, I carry extra Poison Control stickers with their number on it, to place near the medicine cabinet/phones in homes.

Yes, poison control is instructed when EMS is needed or not.

R/r 911

 

[JPINFV]

Hmmmm let's see the people that man the Poison Control here have Doctrates in Pharmacy

Phu-leezze. I've got one of those compliments of the University of Photoshop. It's right next to my magical lung dilating Albuterol formula.

 

[BossyCow]

I think its call Poison Control AND 911. Poison control is awesome. We've taken in pts and had a fax from Poison Control waiting in the ER with a complete work up on the chemical/med taken