Straight, No Chaser In The News: ER Visits Exploding Among Kids From Accidental Overdoses

Boy opening a pill bottle
In the News is additional information regarding Patient Safety Awareness Week. Earlier today, we discussed your medicine cabinet. The theme there and here is leaving medicines easily accessible around your home can have dire consequences in those for whom the medicine wasn’t prescribed.

overdose-graphic8

In the news is a report from Safe Kids Worldwide, a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC. They note than 60,000 young children (about 160 children/day) were seen in U.S. emergency rooms after unintended pill ingestion (this is 2016 data). These pills typically included pain medications, vitamins and many other prescriptions (such as medicines for high blood pressure and diabetes).

ChildWithPrescriptionDrugs

The message for you is whether pills are left on the ground, in a medicine cabinet, in a purse, diaper bag or pill organizer, they are more accessible that you may think, especially among toddlers exploring the world. Secure your medicines. What’s normal to you may be deadly to a child or others.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
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