March 17 – 23 is National Poison Prevention Week
Did you know that in 2018, 1,464 children under 10 years old visited emergency departments and urgent care centres for unintentional poisoning?
Seven out of 10 poisonings involving children under the age of 10 who were treated in emergency departments were caused by medication.
The Poison and Drug Information Service received over 12,100 calls in 2018 concerning unintentional poisoning incidents involving young children.
We can all take part in changing these statistics and making a difference for the safety of the children we care for.
I would like to propose the following challenge to you, make your home a poison-free zone.
Keep all potential poisons locked up and out of reach of children.
Improperly-stored medications are the leading cause of childhood poisonings in Alberta.
It is important to remember that a child resistant cap is not child proof and it only takes a brief minute or two for a child to open the container and take the medication.
They may have watched you do exactly the same thing many times.
It’s important to note that medication poisoning is not just the result of a child mistakenly consuming a medication but may be the result of an administration error.
Being mindful is a great place to start when considering how to tackle the prevention of medication poisoning.
All too often we do things in a rush and are not fully paying attention the task at hand.
Here are some helpful hints from the Poison and Drug Information Service. Designate one care giver to administer the medication.
Write down the time and dose each time, especially if you are up in the middle of the night caring for a sick child.
Use proper measuring equipment, perhaps a syringe would be helpful.
If you have more than one child taking medication during the same period, take the time to read the child’s name on the label.
Make yourself a check list to review time and dosage.
If medication must be stored in the fridge; place the medication in a zip locked bag and place in an out of reach storage compartment.
Always store medication in the original container.
With some knowledge of the problem and a little effort on our part, we can greatly reduce this risk to our children.
As a parent / caregiver, take one item off the many worries list, accept the challenge to make your home a poison-free home and make your child’s space a safe space
In case of emergency please have the Poison and Drug information Service number saved in a convenient location. 1.800.332.1414.
Reference:
Injury Prevention Centre (2019). Preventing Medication Poisoning in Children. Retrieved from https://injurypreventioncentre.ca/campaigns/poison-prevention
Parachute: Poison Prevention http://www.parachutecanada.org/injury-topics/topic/C16
You can contact Ann Pudwell, Health Promotion Facilitator with AHS, Injury Prevention, by email: ann.pudwell@ahs.ca