 |
|||
 |
|||
Healthy
|
|||
Ipecac Policy Change
In 2001, the American Association of Poison Control Centers reported a total of 1.2 million poisonings incidents among children less than six years old in the U. S. Preventing poisoning is a critically important component in making your childcare facility as safe as possible.
Syrup of Ipecac
Syrup of ipecac is a substance that induces vomiting when consumed. If a child has consumed a poisonous substance, taking syrup of ipecac causes vomiting that can often remove some of the poisonous substance from the child’s body. Health care organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have long recommended that parents and child caregivers keep a one-ounce bottle of syrup of ipecac available in case poisoning emergencies do occur. Now, that recommendation has been changed by new scientific evidence.
In November 2003, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued new recommendations on poison treatment in the home. The AAP now recommends that parents and caregivers should not keep syrup of ipecac in their homes. The AAP also recommends disposing of any syrup of ipecac you may have in a safe manner, such as by flushing it down the toilet.
Poison Policy Change
According to the AAP’s Committee on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention, there has never been any scientific evidence that administering syrup of ipecac to induce vomiting reduces death rates from poisoning. For years, doctors and parents operated under the intuitive assumption that making children vomit after they have swallowed poison would effectively remove the poison from their bodies.
However, studies of children who had ingested a potentially toxic amount of a drug and then took ipecac showed that on average, only 28 percent of the poison was eliminated from their bodies after vomiting.
Ipecac has been replaced as the preferred treatment for poisoning in hospital emergency departments by activated charcoal, which binds to the poison in a person’s stomach and prevents the poison from entering the bloodstream. Using syrup of ipecac first may actually reduce the effectiveness of activated charcoal treatments, another reason cited by the AAP for the change in policy.
The AAP also stated that syrup of ipecac may be misused by people with eating disorders (such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa) who want to induce vomiting in an attempt to lose weight or purge stomach contents. In very rare cases, the substance may be abused by adults with a mental disorder called Munchausen syndrome by proxy, in which they purposely make a child ill to gain attention for themselves.
The AAP has expressed concern that although parents and caregivers are advised to call a doctor or a poison control center before administering ipecac, some parents and caregivers do not comply and administer the substance on their own. This practice could lead to serious health problems in children.
Ipecac and Childcare
Because of the AAP’s findings, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to consider removing syrup of ipecac from the market entirely or to change its status from an over-the-counter medication to a prescription one.
This situation can be confusing for providers who must comply with state and local regulations that have not been updated and may still require syrup of ipecac to be included in first-aid kits. As a childcare provider, the AAP recommends that you continue to follow all requirements by local and state childcare licensing agencies.
However, stay informed about new policies issued by your regulating agencies. Because of the stance of the AAP and other federal agencies, local and state regulations regarding the inclusion of syrup of ipecac may soon change.
What to Do in Case of Poisoning
If you think that a child in your care has come in contact with poison, remain calm. Immediately call 9-1-1 if the child is having convulsions, stops breathing, or loses consciousness.
Call the poison control center, 800-222-1222. If the child is conscious and breathing, provide the following information: the child’s age, weight, and current condition; the time that the poisoning occurred; and your name and telephone number. Have the product or container that held the poison nearby so you can answer the operator’s questions.
Follow whatever instructions the poison control center gives you. Do not administer syrup of ipecac unless instructed to do so by the poison control operator or a doctor. If you have any questions about proper first aid or treatment or the risk of exposure, call the poison control center.
Prevent Poisoning
Even if these new recommendations do not immediately impact your local and state regulations, they can be a useful reminder that it is always a good time to review your poison prevention procedures. Prevent poisonings with these techniques:
- Keep over-the-counter medications in their original containers as sold by the manufacturer. If a child requires a specific medication while in childcare, the child’s parent should clearly label each medication with the child’s name and specific instructions from the child’s health professional on how to administer it.
- Ensure that all medications, refrigerated or unrefrigerated, have child-resistant caps.
- Ensure that medications are stored in a closed and locked place that is inaccessible to children.
- Store medications away from food and at the proper temperature.
- Do not use any medication beyond its expiration date.
- Store cleaning supplies away from food.
- Store all cleaning supplies in locked cabinets or rooms.
- Always safely store cleaning supplies immediately after use.
- Store poisonous or toxic materials in their original labeled containers.
- Keep purses and diaper bags of staff as well as visitors away from children.
- Know the correct names of all plants in your facility, and contact the Poison Control Center to make sure they are not toxic.
Finally, make sure that the telephone numbers of national and/or local poison control centers are displayed near each phone in case of emergency. Having these numbers available can help save lives when poisonings do occur.
Amy Sutton
Editor of the Eye Care Sourcebook and the Dental and Oral Health Sourcebook
Internet Resources
Poison Treatment in the Home, www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/novpoisonqanda.htm and www.aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;112/5/1182
Preventing Poisonings in the Home, www.aapcc.org/ppwbrochure.htm
Resources
American Academy of Pediatrics, 141 Northwest Point Blvd., Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-1098; 847-434-4000; www.aap.org
American Association of Poison Control Centers, 3201 New Mexico Ave., Ste. 330 Washington, DC 20016; 800-222-1222; www.aapcc.org
National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care, UCHSC at Fitzsimons Campus Mail Stop F541; PO Box 6508, Aurora, CO 80045-0508; 800-598-KIDS (5437); nrc.uchsc.edu
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207-0001; 301-504-6816; www.cpsc.gov
|
Healthy Childcare® Home Page | Library | Search | Questions & Answers | Links
I Am Amazing | Hip On Health | Health & Safety Resource Guide | Order Form
Product Spotlight | Free Issue | Publisher's Letter | Contact Us | Author Guidelines HEALTHY CHILD PUBLICATIONS Last Revised: |
||