Poisoning is a far more serious health problem in the U.S. than has generally
been recognized. It is estimated that more than 4 million poisoning episodes
occur annually, with approximately 300,000 cases leading to hospitalization.
The field of poison prevention provides some of the most celebrated examples
of successful public health interventions, yet surprisingly the current
poison control "system" is little more than a loose network of poison control
centers, poorly integrated into the larger spheres of public health. To
increase their effectiveness, efforts to reduce poisoning need to be linked to
a national agenda for public health promotion and injury prevention.


Forging a Poison Prevention and Control System recommends a future poison
control system with a strong public health infrastructure, a national system
of regional poison control centers, federal funding to support core poison
control activities, and a national poison information system to track
major poisoning epidemics and possible acts of bioterrorism. This framework
provides a complete "system" that could offer the best poison prevention
and patient care services to meet the needs of the nation in the
21st century.

Table of Contents


Front Matter
Executive Summary
Part I: Overview1 Introduction
2 Toward a Poison Prevention and Control System
Part II: Current Status and Opportunities3 Magnitude of the Problem
4 Historical Context of Poison Control
5 Poison Center Activities, Personnel, and Quality Assurance
6 Current Costs, Funding, and Organizational Structures
7 Data and Surveillance
8 Prevention and Public Education
9 A Public Health System for Poison Prevention and Control
Part III: Conclusions and Recommendations 10 Conclusions and Recommendations
References
Appendix A: Contributors
Appendix B: Committee Biographies
Index