TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2006//
TI  - Pack-size legislation reduces severity of paracetamol overdoses in Ireland
JO  - Irish journal of medical science
A1  - Donohoe, E.
A1  - Walsh, N.
A1  - Tracey, J. A.
SP  - 40
EP  - 42
VL  - 175
IS  - 3
N2  - BACKGROUND: Legislation was introduced in Ireland in October 2001 to control the sale of paracetamol in non-pharmacy outlets. Preparations are now limited to 12 tablets per pack and only one pack can be sold per transaction. AIM: To assess the impact of this legislation on acute deliberate paracetamol overdoses. METHODS: We reviewed acute deliberate paracetamol overdoses reported during two 24-months periods before and after October 2001. We grouped cases according to the number of tablets taken and compared the periods using chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests. RESULTS: The number of tablets taken in acute deliberate paracetamol overdose fell significantly after October 2001 (chi2 = 11.663, P = 0.0029). Fewer cases involved 12-24 tablets (U = 74, P < 0.001) and fewer cases involved more than 24 tablets (U = 131.5, P = 0.0006). CONCLUSION: Legislation controlling sale and packaging of paracetamol preparations appears to be associated with a significant fall in the number of tablets taken in acute deliberate paracetamol overdoses.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0021-1265
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -