Toxicology training of paramedic students in the United States

A 16-item survey was mailed to the directors of 618 paramedic training prog rams in the United States to determine (1) the number of lecture hours devo ted to toxicology topics and (2) how often paramedic training includes a ro tation in a poison control center. The response rate was 82%. Toxicology ac counts for approximately 2% of paramedic students' total training. Cardiova scular drug toxicity and hazardous materials are discussed far over 60 minu tes by more than 50% of paramedic training programs. Four paramedic program s have no lecture time on cyclic antidepressant overdoses and one program h as no lecture time on carbon monoxide poisoning. Eighty-one percent (377 of 467) have access to a regional poison control center; 11% (42 of 377) use the poison control center as a paramedic training site. Some US paramedic t raining pro grams spend insufficient time covering topics that have signifi cant out-of hospital morbidity, Although poison control centers are often a vailable. they are underutilized for paramedic training. Copyright (C) 1999 by W.B. Saunders Company.