Table 2.
Numbers of presentations to general hospitals in Oxford, Bristol and Bath, and Manchester* after self poisoning with paracetamol or salicylates before and after the change in law on packaging†
| No of cases attributable to drug/Total No of cases of self poisoning (%)
|
% change in number (95% CI) | P value | % change in proportion (95% CI) | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 months before change | 12 months after change | |||||
| Single preparations | ||||||
| Paracetamol alone: | ||||||
| Oxford | 441/1250 (35.3) | 385/1218 (31.6) | −13 (−24 to 0) | −10 (−20 to 0) | ||
| Bristol and Bath | 958/2550 (37.6) | 803/2369 (33.9) | −16 (−24 to −8) | −10 (−16 to −3) | ||
| Weighted average | −15 (−21 to −8) | <0.001 | −10 (−15 to −4) | 0.001 | ||
| Paracetamol compounds: | ||||||
| Oxford | 107/1250 (8.6) | 106/1218 (8.7) | −1 (−25 to 31) | 2 (−21 to 32) | ||
| Bristol and Bath | 252/2550 (9.9) | 316/2369 (13.3) | 25 (6 to 49) | 35 (16 to 58) | ||
| Weighted average | 17 (2 to 35) | 0.02 | 25 (9 to 43) | 0.001 | ||
| Paracetamol of any kind: | ||||||
| Oxford | 527/1250 (42.2) | 475/1218 (39.0) | −10 (−21 to 2) | −6 (−16 to 2) | ||
| Bristol and Bath | 1145/2550 (44.9) | 1035/2369 (43.7) | −10 (−17 to −2) | −3 (−9 to 4) | ||
| Manchester | 514/1176 (43.7) | 446/930 (48.0) | −13 (−24 to −1) | 10 (0 to 20) | ||
| Weighted average | −11 (−16 to −5) | <0.001 | −1 (−6 to 3) | 0.6 | ||
| Salicylates alone: | ||||||
| Oxford | 64/1250 (5.1) | 68/1218 (5.6) | 6 (−26 to 52) | 9 (−22 to 52) | ||
| Bristol and Bath | 148/2550 (5.8) | 129/2369 (5.4) | −13 (−24 to −1) | −6 (−25 to 18) | ||
| Weighted average | −7 (−23 to 13) | 0.5 | −2 (−18 to 19) | 0.9 | ||
| Salicylate compounds: | ||||||
| Oxford | 63/1250 (5.0) | 49/1218 (4.0) | −22 (−48 to 15) | −20 (−45 to 15) | ||
| Bristol and Bath | 117/2550 (4.6) | 113/2369 (4.8) | −3 (−26 to 26) | 4 (−19 to 34) | ||
| Weighted average | −10 (−27% to 11%) | 0.3 | −5 (−22 to 17) | 0.7 | ||
| Preparations taken in conjunction with other drugs | ||||||
| Paracetamol (in any form): | ||||||
| Oxford | 142/1250 (11.4) | 143/1218 (11.7) | 1 (−21 to 28) | 3 (−17 to 29) | ||
| Bristol and Bath | 481/2550 (18.9) | 494/2369 (20.9) | 3 (−10 to 17) | 11 (−1 to 24) | ||
| Manchester | 226/1176 (19.2) | 219/930 (23.5) | −3 (−20 to 17) | 23 (4 to 44) | ||
| Weighted average | 1 (−8 to 11) | 0.9 | 12 (3 to 22) | 0.008 | ||
| Salicylates (in any form): | ||||||
| Oxford | 86/1250 (6.9) | 71/1218 (5.8) | −17 (−41 to 14) | −15 (−37 to 15) | ||
| Bristol and Bath | 180/2550 (7.1) | 176/2369 (7.4) | −2 (−21 to 21) | 5 (−14 to 29) | ||
| Weighted average | −7 (−22 to 10%) | 0.4 | −1 (−17 to 16) | 0.9 | ||
*
Not all data were available for Manchester.
†
16 September 1998.