Acute medication poisoning in children at Alexandria Poison Centre, Egypt: an educational intervention
Abstract Background Acute medication poisoning is a significant cause of preventable morbidity in children worldwide. Aim This study aimed to assess the level of medication poisoning knowledge of children’s caregivers and their influencing factors, and to design, implement, and evaluate the effect o...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SpringerOpen
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Egyptian Pediatric Association Gazette |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s43054-025-00375-6 |
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| Summary: | Abstract Background Acute medication poisoning is a significant cause of preventable morbidity in children worldwide. Aim This study aimed to assess the level of medication poisoning knowledge of children’s caregivers and their influencing factors, and to design, implement, and evaluate the effect of an educational session on caregivers’ level of knowledge regarding the prevention of acute medication poisoning among children. Methods A predesigned structured interview questionnaire was used to assess caregivers’ knowledge before the session. The intervention was conducted as an educational session for 45 min, including the definition of poisoning, symptoms of poisoning, prevention and control of medication poisoning at home, first aid at home, especially for diabetic, cardiac, or hypertension medication poisoning, guidelines before and after administration of any medication, and storage duration and reconstitution of oral medications. The caregivers’ knowledge was reassessed by telephone using the same study tool 3 months after the educational session. Results A total of 110 caregivers of medication-poisoned children were included. The study revealed that the mean total knowledge score increased from 2.65 ± 1.82 to 29.09 ± 3.76 after the educational session. Two factors were significantly associated with caregivers’ knowledge scores: low educational level and having more than two children (p = 0.016 and 0.034, respectively). Conclusions A simple educational session significantly improved caregivers’ knowledge. |
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| ISSN: | 2090-9942 |