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ELECTRONIC ARTICLE:
Henry A. Spiller and George C. Rodgers, Jr
Evaluation of Administration of Activated Charcoal in the Home
Pediatrics 2001; 108: e100 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]
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[Read P3R] the uk perspective.
lewis jones   (13 December 2001)

the uk perspective. 13 December 2001
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lewis jones,
specialist registrar in emergency medicine

Send letter to journal:
Re: the uk perspective.

lojones{at}lycos.co.uk lewis jones

Ipecac administraion in the home has never been used routinely in the UK unlike the United States. This is mainly due to the emergency department being the point of contact for poisoned children and adults. The general public do not have access to the UK poisons centres directly, their use being restricted to telephon advice to heath care workers only. In 1998 NHS Direct, a telephone advice service, was opened to the general public in an attempt to reduct the workload for primary care and emergency departments. With this there is now the potential for NHS direct to advise on the home delivery of activated charcoal in cetain specific poisoning conditions. The mean times to administraion of activated charcoal in this paper (1) are the most impressive statistics as most of those patients attending the emergency departments for the administrarion of their charcoal would not have gained any benefit from this (2). Any way the morbibity and mortality form childhood poisoning can be reduced should be looked at in the uk. the availability of activated charocal to the general public from pharmacies should be considered as a safe way of going some way towards this. Dr. Lewis Jones MBChB MRCP Dip Med Tox. 1) Spiller HA, Rogers Jr GC Evaluation of administration of activated charcoal in the home Pediatrics 2001 108 2)Chyka PA Seger D. position statement : single-dose activated charcoal. American Academy of CLinicla Toxicology; European Association of Poison centres and Clinical Toxicologists J. Toxicol CLin Toxicol 1997 35:721-736