Triage and clinical management of patients with acute pesticide self-poisoning presenting to small rural hospitals

Abstract

Acute pesticide self-poisoning is the single most important cause of fatal self-harm worldwide, killing at least 250,000 people every year, the vast majority in rural Asia. However, for many years the problem was little studied and no systematic approach taken to reduce harm and prevent deaths. Eight years ago this changed when the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed an inter-sectoral public health campaign to improve patient management, prevention, knowledge of its epidemiology, and information dissemination. One aim was to improve the triage and acute care of pesticide self-poisoned patients presenting to small rural hospitals with few resources. To this end, a WHO meeting was held in Bangkok at the end of 2007 that developed a protocol for triage and early care that was published online. Unfortunately, this approach has not resulted in dissemination or uptake and, 4 years later, the guidance has not been widely read, critiqued, or used. In this commentary, we describe the basis for the guidance that was produced. We hope it will bring the work to a wider clinical toxicology audience, to ultimately improve management of pesticide poisoned patients, and to encourage clinicians to take part in this important campaign. Future attempts to improve clinical care in rural Asia will need to better understand and utilise methods for influencing policy makers and clinicians in target areas if practice is to be changed.

Keywords:

• Other
• CNS/psychological
• organ/tissue specific
• Complications of poisoning
• Muscle
• organ/tissue specific
• Complications of poisoning