Journals / Eurasian Journal of Toxicology / 2026 / Volume: 8 Issue: 2

Acute poisoning surveillance in the emergency department: severity, intent, recurrence, and prevention endpoints

Acil serviste akut zehirlenme sürveyansı: şiddet, niyet, yineleme ve önleme sonlanımları

Mustafa Şimşek(UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, ŞANLIURFA MEHMET AKİF İNAN HEALTH RESEARCH CENTER, DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, DEPARTMENT OF ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE)0009-0007-8040-4687
Pages
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Publication Date
2026-08-31
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Embedding this minimum dataset into routine electronic emergency department forms may support more comparable and actionable toxicovigilance in Türkiye and similar health systems.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:This letter comments on Özdal and Yüksel's one-year profile of 665 acute poisoning cases in a tertiary emergency department.
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Key Findings & Data:The predominance of intentional poisoning, medication and alcohol exposure among intentional cases, carbon monoxide exposure among unintentional cases, and higher admission rates after intentional exposure indicate that poisoning epidemiology should move beyond descriptive exposure counts.
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Conclusion & Impact:Embedding this minimum dataset into routine electronic emergency department forms may support more comparable and actionable toxicovigilance in Türkiye and similar health systems.
🔬Design:Letter to Editor
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:poisoning · carbon monoxide poisoning · suicide

Abstract

This letter comments on Özdal and Yüksel's one-year profile of 665 acute poisoning cases in a tertiary emergency department. The predominance of intentional poisoning, medication and alcohol exposure among intentional cases, carbon monoxide exposure among unintentional cases, and higher admission rates after intentional exposure indicate that poisoning epidemiology should move beyond descriptive exposure counts. We propose that future emergency toxicology datasets should integrate four linked domains: exposure characteristics, standardized clinical severity, intent-based psychosocial risk, and recurrence/prevention endpoints. Variables such as Poisoning Severity Score, estimated dose, co-ingestion, time from exposure to emergency department arrival, antidote use, electrocardiographic toxicity, organ injury, intensive care requirement, psychiatric consultation, discharge safety planning, 30-day revisit, and public health notification for environmental exposures may improve clinical interpretation and prevention value. Embedding this minimum dataset into routine electronic emergency department forms may support more comparable and actionable toxicovigilance in Türkiye and similar health systems.

Özet

Bu editöre mektup, Özdal ve Yüksel tarafından üçüncü basamak bir acil serviste bildirilen 665 akut zehirlenme olgusunu değerlendiren çalışmayı yorumlamaktadır. Çalışmada istemli zehirlenmelerin yüksek oranı, istemli olgularda ilaç ve alkol maruziyetinin, istemsiz olgularda karbon monoksit maruziyetinin öne çıkması ve istemli maruziyet sonrasında yatış oranlarının artması, zehirlenme epidemiyolojisinin yalnızca tanımlayıcı maruziyet sayılarıyla sınırlı kalmaması gerektiğini göstermektedir. Gelecekteki acil toksikoloji kayıtlarının dört bütünleşik alanı içermesini öneriyoruz: maruziyet özellikleri, standartlaştırılmış klinik şiddet, maruziyet amacı temelli psikososyal risk ve yineleme/önleme sonlanımları. Zehirlenme Şiddet Skoru, doz tahmini, eşlik eden madde alımı, başvuru süresi, antidot kullanımı, elektrokardiyografik toksisite, organ hasarı, yoğun bakım gereksinimi, psikiyatri konsültasyonu, taburculuk güvenlik planı, 30 günlük tekrar başvuru ve çevresel maruziyetlerde halk sağlığı bildirimi gibi değişkenler klinik yorumlanabilirliği artırabilir. Bu minimum veri setinin rutin elektronik acil servis formlarına eklenmesi, Türkiye ve benzer sağlık sistemlerinde karşılaştırılabilir ve eyleme dönük toksikovijilans sağlayabilir.

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Cite This Article

Şimşek, M. (2026). Acute poisoning surveillance in the emergency department: severity, intent, recurrence, and prevention endpoints. Eurasian Journal of Toxicology, Volume: 8 Issue: 2. https://doi.org/10.51262/ejtox.1970975

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References (5)

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