Table 1.

Types of information shared during telephone calls between EDs and PCCs, excluding patient/ provider identifying information.^*

Exposure information
Exposure Type	E.g., polypharmacy, accidental, overdose.
Certainty of Formulation	In a circumstance where the poison is a therapeutic agent, the level of certainty about the precise formulation, based on the subjective/ objective information provided.
Chronicity	Duration of exposure (acute vs. chronic)
Establishing background/certainty	Narrative information about the poison exposure scenario specifically relevant to determining the certainty of ingestion/exposure, and general information helpful in constructing a clinical picture of the patient and treatment plan.
Substance class	General grouping or characterization of poison (e.g., beta-blocker)
Substance information	General characteristics of a poison (e.g., half-life, mechanism of action, peak effect)
Substance name (generic)	Generic name of poison that is also a therapeutic agent
Substance amount	Dosage or amount of substance (e.g., 500mg metformin)
Substance name (brand)	Brand name of poison that is also a therapeutic agent
Substance description	Informal description ranging from general class of drug (e.g., antiarrhythmic) to intended purpose (e.g., a chemical used to clean carburetors)
Substance form	E.g., tablet, pill, powder, lozenges.
Substance formulation	E.g., extended release vs. Rapid release
Substance identification rationale	Narrative describing reasoning of PCC specialist in identifying a substance based on described characteristics of the poison (e.g., “A blue pill in that shape can be a few different things, but it is probably Viagra”)
Substance-nonpharmacological	Name of non-pharmacological substance
Substance type	E.g., solid, inhalant, liquid.
Time since ingestion	Amount of time elapsed since initial poison exposure (e.g., “It has been about 5 hours since she took the pills.”)
Patient health history
Medical history	Information about patient’s past medical history.
Patient medications	Medications that the patient currently takes at home.
Subjective & objective Information
Chief complaint/eason for visit	Patient’s chief complaint upon presenting to emergency department or calling poison control center.
Absence of clinical effects	The absence of any signs or symptoms attributable to poison exposure.
Mental status	Information about patient’s mental status.
Caller reported symptoms	Symptoms as reported by patient or caller to PCC.
Physical exam findings	Signs observed by ED health care providers.
Unrelated symptoms	Health care provider or PCC assessment that a symptom is unrelated or likely unrelated to the poison exposure. For example, a patient may exhibit tremors related to underlying Parkinson’s disease, unrelated to an acute narcotics overdose.
Vital signs	Information describing patient’s blood pressure, heart rate, and/or respiratory rate along with the time the vital signs were obtained.
PCC recommendations &toxicology information
PCC recommendations for treatment and discharge parameters	PCC recommendations for treatment and/or duration of direct observation prior to discharge from the ED.
Toxic dose	Specific dose or amount of exposure, at which a substance becomes toxic.
Toxicity levels	Circulating blood level of a substance considered toxic.
Clinical effects of substance	Potential or expected clinical effects of a given poison exposure.
Worst case scenario	Description of the most harmful clinical effects and poorest outcome that patient might experience (a description of risk), usually PCC to ED.
ED treatment / management information
Confirmation that was treatment given	ED staff member indicates whether or not a PCC recommended treatment has been administered to a patient.
Patient discharge medications	Medications prescribed for patient at time of discharge from ED.
Patient status	ED description of patient’s clinical condition, particularly whether clinical effects of exposure are observed.
Plan of care	Refers to ED health care provider plan of care for patient (e.g., treatments, procedures, length of stay, parameters for discharge).
Diagnostic test results	Inquiry about results of diagnostic tests (e.g., laboratory, ECG, imaging).
Time next laboratory tests will be ordered	Information about the ED’s planned or recommended timing of subsequent diagnostic testing (e.g., “We’ll get another level at 4 hours [after ingestion].”).
Time laboratory test was performed/drawn	Information about the timing of a treatment or a lab test, usually in relation to the time of ingestion (e.g., “That level was drawn 2 hours after ingestion”).
Treatment performed	Information that a treatment, directly related to the poison exposure, was administered.
Information types idiosyncratic to telephone communication
Ambiguous Test Result	Characterization of the results of laboratory or non-laboratory diagnostic testing
Confirmation Patient Arrived at Hospital	Confirmation by an ED staff member that a given patient is under the care of that ED
Request for Chronicity	Inquiry about duration of exposure
Patient Status Request	Inquiry into patient’s status, both clinical condition and whether the patient is still under ED care
Request for clinical effects information	PCC inquiry as to clinical effects effects observed by ED health care provider
Request for Lab/Test	Inquiry as to results of laboratory diagnostic testing
Results
Request for Test Results	Inquiry as to results of non-laboratory diagnostic testing

^*PCCs collect information for entry into the National Poison Data System (NPDS) and consequently, some information types resemble NPDS data elements. However, NPDS data elements are defined differently, as described in a published coding manual.¹¹