TY - JOUR PY - 2009// TI - Analysis of data from poison control centers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for use in public health activities JO - Cadernos de Saude Publica A1 - Presgrave, Rosaura de Farias A1 - Camacho, Luiz Antonio Bastos A1 - Villas Boas, Maria Helena Simoes SP - 401 EP - 408 VL - 25 IS - 2 N2 - Health information systems should be sources of reliable and valid data that can be used for surveillance to reduce morbidity and mortality. Unintentional poisoning is highly relevant to public health, since it is the most frequent cause of emergency pediatric care. Information on such events is recorded in Poison Control Centers (PCCs). The current study analyzed the records on unintentional poisoning with household cleaning products in two PCCs in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2000-2002. The variables analyzed were gender, age, cause of the accident, exposure route, toxic agent, and outcome. In the 2,810 records studied, boys four years and younger were the most vulnerable group and oral ingestion was the most common exposure route. However, analysis of the data on the toxic agent, cause, and outcome showed that the data currently recorded in the PCCs are inconsistent. It is necessary to review the definitions used by the PCCs in order for the resulting data to effectively support public health measures and health surveillance policies.
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LA - pt SN - 0102-311X UR - http://dx.doi.org/ ID - ref1 ER -