ABOUT US

What does the National Poisons Information Centre do?

The National Poisons Information Centre is based  in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, and provides information to doctors and healthcare professionals on the management of acute poisoning. Poisons may include pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, household products, industrial chemicals and plants.

The Centre also collects and analyses epidemiological data on acute poisoning.  We produce an annual report each year and can provide more detailed data to regulatory authorities on request.  Click here to read our most recent annual report or visit the Publications section to see older reports.

In addition, the Centre is the contracting body for TOXBASE, an on-line clinical toxicology database used by hospital emergency departments and intensive care units.  We liaise with the database administrators in the UK to ensure that relevant Irish products are listed on TOXBASE.

Who can use the service?

Our service is primarily aimed towards doctors and healthcare professionals.  We provide limited emergency information to members of the public but we cannot provide them with detailed information about the clinical effects or toxicity of drugs or other agents.  In the future we would like to provide a dedicated service for the general public.

When is the service available?

Our telephone information service is available 24/7 and 365 days a year.  Our own Poisons Information Officers answer enquiries between 8am and 10pm and calls outside these hours are automatically diverted to the UK National Poisons Information Service.  Callers do not have to pay any extra telephone charges for calls diverted to the UK (these are paid by Beaumont Hospital).

Who answers enquiries?

Enquiries are answered by Poisons Information Officers who are science graduates with post-graduate training in Medical Toxicology.  Complex or clinical questions can be referred to our Medical Director.  The Poisons Information Officers are responsible for providing accurate and specialised information about acute and chronic toxicological issues, to assist in the management of poisoned patients.  They are not qualified to make clinical decisions regarding admission or discharge of a patient. 

All staff participate in continuing professional development by attending CPD meetings with staff from the UK National Poisons Information Service, by conducting research and presenting findings at the Annual Congress of the European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT) and by discussing unusual cases at staff meetings.

Confidentiality

All records of Poison Center calls, like medical records, are kept confidential.  Telephone calls to the Poison Center are recorded, and data stored electronically, for quality assurance and training purposes.  Enquiry data is shared with the UK National Poisons Information Service to ensure continuity of patient care. 

Enquiries are logged on paper and on a computer database (UKPID).  This database provides general information for national statistics e.g. age and sex of the patient, substances/products, the county where the call originated, outcome.  Anonymised information may be provided to agencies that regulate consumer safety issues but confidential details such as callers names and telephone numbers are not released.

Confidential product information provided to us by a manufacturer is stored securely and is only used to provide medical advice on the treatment of poisoning.