NCJ Number
233623
Date Published
September 2010
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This report from the Drug Abuse Warning Network presents data on the number of emergency department visits that involve accidental ingestion of drugs, primarily pharmaceuticals, by children aged 5 or younger.
Abstract
It was found that: in 2008, 68.9 percent of emergency department (ED) visits involved accidental ingestion of drugs by children aged 5 or younger; of the ED visits involving children aged 5 or younger, 42.3 percent were for 2-year olds and 29.5 percent were for 1-year olds; 40.8 percent of ED visits involving children aged 5 or younger were for drugs that act on the central nervous system (21.1 percent for pain relievers and 11.6 percent for anxiety and insomnia drugs); and for children aged 5 or younger that were taken to the ED for accidental ingestion of drugs, 85.3 percent were treated and released. This report is from the Drug Abuse and Warning Network (DAWN), a public health surveillance system that monitors drug-related ED visits in the United States. Data are collected from a nationwide sample of short-term, general, non-Federal hospitals. This information in this report deals with ED visits for children aged 5 or younger who have accidentally ingested drugs, primarily pharmaceuticals. The findings in this report show an increased need for education and awareness among parents, immediate family members, and caregivers of young children about the danger of accidental ingestion of drugs, the importance of storing drugs in secure locations, and proper disposal methods for expired or leftover medications. Figures, table, and endnotes