Compliance with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Triage Guidelines by Texas Poison Control Centers

Abstract

Although 2% of exposures reported to U.S. poison control centers involve selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), many poison control centers do not have standardized guidelines for the management of these exposures. Recently, such guidelines were published, although the utility of these guidelines has not been evaluated. Cases evaluated in this study are all ingestions of SSRI alone reported to Texas poison control centers during 2000–2006. A simplified version of the published management guidelines triage algorithm was created, and the proportion of cases that were managed according to these guidelines was calculated. Of the total cases, 85% not already at/en route to a health care facility and 88% already at/en route to a health care facility were managed according to the simplified algorithm. The respective rate ranges were 82–89% and 83–90% among the 6 poison control centers and 77–86% and 80–90% among the 6 specific SSRI. The majority of ingestions of SSRI alone reported to Texas poison control centers during a recent 7-yr period were managed according to a simplified version of recommended triage algorithm. This was the case for all of the poison control centers and all of the specific SSRI.

Acknowledgements

Funding for this research was provided by a contract with the Commission on State Emergency Communications in Texas. We thank the staff of the six poison centers (Central Texas Poison Center, North Texas Poison Center, Texas Panhandle Poison Center, South Texas Poison Center, Southeast Texas Poison Center, West Texas Regional Poison Center) of the Texas Poison Center Network, who collected the data.

The Texas Department of State Health Services considers this investigation exempt from review.