TABLE 4

Ten Most Common Out-of-Hospital Exposures From General Unintentional or Therapeutic Error

SubstanceNo. of Calls
General Unintentional
 1) Diaper care and rash products7495
 2) Acetaminophen alone4871
 3) GI preparation (excluding H2-blocker and PPI)4250
 4) Plants: oxalates3800
 5) Creams, lotions, and make-up3552
 6) Topical antifungal3295
 7) Foreign body, toy, or miscellaneous substance2752
 8) Pens or inks2527
 9) Soaps (bar, hand or complexion)2483
 10) Combination cough/cold product2279
Therapuetic Error
 1) Acetaminophen alone22 208
 2) H2-blocker13 746
 3) GI preparation (excluding H2-blocker and PPI)9380
 4) Combination cough/cold product8609
 5) Systemic antibiotic (PO, IM, IV)6145
 6) Ibuprofen5229
 7) Antihistamine alone3927
 8) PPI2344
 9) Topical antifungal1907
 10) Albuterol1671

  • GI, gastrointestinal; IM, intramuscular; IV, intravenous; PPI, proton pump inhibitor; PO, by mouth.