The treatment of overdose - Time for a change?

To determine emergency management of overdose relating to gastrointestinal decontamination procedures in Scottish. Accident & Emergency, (A & E) Depar tments. A postal questionnaire Mas sent to the 28 main A & E Departments in Scotland, There was a 75% response rate. Nineteen departments(90%) continu e to perform gastric lavage, with the majority carrying out this procedure more than one hour post-ingestion of commonly presenting overdoses. Sixteen departments (76%) regularly administer activated charcoal and four (19%) u se syrup of ipecacuanha. Twenty departments (95%) had access to Toxbase. Th e majority of respondents (86%) feel there is a need for standardisation of treatment in acute overdose. Despite the availability of guidelines provid ed by the UK National Poisons Information Service and the Position Statemen ts, there is no consensus in the actual management of acute overdose among Scottish A & E departments.