Posters IV - The American Academy of Clinical Toxicology

Background: During a public health emergency, such as an epidemic H1N1 situation or radiological
crisis, telemedicine has great potential to address hospital surge capacity by managing care for patients
who have mild or no symptoms. Poison Control Centers (PCC) can serve a large number of patients using
set treatment guidelines under the supervision of medical professionals. In order to optimize call center
disaster telemedicine services, it is important to understand public opinions. Methods: Participants were
selected each month from recent callers to the Georgia Poison Center (GPC). Eligibility included members
of the general public who were at least 18 years old, had placed a call to the GPC between two weeks and
two months prior to study enrollment date, and received management relating to their exposure at home.
The research employed was a cross-sectional survey design. The survey consisted of 21 items which
assessed the demographic characteristics of participants, knowledge and attitudes towards telemedicine,
and aspects related to a hypothetical epidemic of H1N1 flu. Results: Based on the eligibility, 491 PCC
callers were eligible for enrollment. Individuals were then called at random and invited to participate. In
total, 116 individuals completed the telephone survey and were enrolled in the study. Of these
participants, 84.5% were female and the mean age was 38 years old; 69.8% indicated they were white,
22.4% black, and 2.6% Hispanic. Level of education varied, but 73.3% of respondents indicated having
completed some college or more. Many callers (45.7%) reported living in a suburban area. Based on the
telephone survey, 66.4% of respondents indicated they were aware of telemedicine and 72.4% indicated
they were likely or very likely to use telemedicine services. In addition to demonstrating knowledge and
likelihood, 67.2% of participants said they were very or extremely willing to follow medical care
instructions through telemedicine for treating themselves and 61.2% for treating other family members.
Discussion: During a public health crisis, telemedicine may provide medical advice for patients with
minor or no symptoms and has potential to alleviate capacity constraints at acute care hospitals and
medical care facilities. The majority of participants had knowledge of telemedicine, were likely to use it,
and were willing to follow telemedicine instructions for themselves or other family members during a
public health emergency. Conclusion: This study supports the use of poison centers as potential
telemedicine providers during a public health emergency. Telemedicine could serve as an additional
resource for treatment during times of overwhelming demands on the acute care system.
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What do other countries want from the ACMT? Results of the American College of Medical Toxicology
International Committee Survey.
David M Wood 1 , Paul Wax 2 , Lewis Nelson 3 , Rais Vohra 4 , Paul I Dargan 1
1 Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London UK 2 American College of Medical Toxicology,
Phoenix AZ 3 New York University, New York NY 4 UCSF-Fresno Medical Center, Fresno CA USA
Background: The International Committee of the American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) was
established as a forum for members from outside of the USA and to provide support to its International
members. Since it was not clear what the exact needs of medical toxicologists around the world were, an
Internet-based survey was designed to determine these needs and we describe here the interim results of
this survey. Methods: A multi-page self-completion on-line questionnaire was designed and trialled by
the ACMT International Committee. Delivery was through an on-line survey portal, with individuals
invited to complete the questionnaire by personalised electronic mail invites to key individuals within 81
different countries. The key individuals were identified using personal contacts through the ACMT, and
where possible only one representative individual per country was invited to complete the questionnaire.
The questionnaire included sections on medical toxicologist recognition / accreditation and training,
poisons centres, antidote availability, laboratory support, training and teaching, and a needs assessment