The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

4139.0: Tuesday, November 12, 2002 - Board 1

Abstract #46718

Conceptual and definitional issues related to poisonings

Monique A. Sheppard, PhD, Children's Safety Network, Economics & Insurance Resource Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Calverton Office Park, 11710 Beltsville Drive, Suite 300, Calverton, MD 20705-3102, 301-755-2728, sheppard@pire.org and Ted R. Miller, PhD, Public Services Research Institute, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Calverton Office Park, 11710 Beltsville Drive, Suite 300, Calverton, MD 20705-3102.

Background: The eight state Northeast Injury Prevention Network, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), along with MCHB’s poison center technical assistance provider partnered to create a regional poison data book. Several recent years of mortality, hospitalization, emergency department, and Toxic Exposure Surveillance System poison-related data were used. The regional data book was designed to serve as a catalyst for increasing attention to the prevention of poisonings and to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with poisoning at all ages. The creation of the data book brought about several definitional and conceptual issues.

Methods: The regional poison book committee consisted of public health professionals, physicians, toxicologists, and epidemiologists. Group members with expertise in a certain area provided the group with information about ‘what usually is done’ and the group came to consensus based on what would best serve the individual states involved. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were also based on comprehensive data availability.

Results: A poisoning case was defined as an individual with a poisoning E code or a poison-related diagnostic code in the first two diagnostic fields for hospital discharge data. Poison-related diagnostic codes included acute alcohol and drug intoxication codes above and below the standard range for injury codes, as well as venomous bites but excluded poison-related adverse effects cases and food poisoning.

Conclusions: This innovative data book opened a dialogue between the poison center and state health department injury personnel. This dialogue, in turn, has facilitated partnerships that will continue long after the production of the data book.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant in this session will be able to

Keywords: Injury Control, Data/Surveillance

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Injury Surveillance Posters

The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA