Develop links with
International Program on Chemical Safety (IPCS) and explore possible
use of (condensed versions of) IPCS poisoning coding classifications in
ICECI/ICD. [N.B . Detailed hierarchical classifications are available
for chemical class, ‘use’ (pharmaceutical, pesticide, etc.),
biological agents, severity, and ‘mechanism of exposure’.
Available in English, French, Portuguese, Spanish.
Produce toolkit for
use with ICD-9/ICD-10 to enable users to assemble acute poisoning
deaths data by agent/age/sex/year and possibly also by circumstances
of exposure (currently difficult as poisoning deaths coded to many
different places). Will also have the advantage of emphasizing problems to coders, coroners, etc. and should help promote
revision/modification of ICD to make the poisoning categories more
logical and thus the data more accessible. Aim to publish in a
refereed, cited journal.
Eventual aim must be
to store and make accessible information on the actual agents involved
in acute poisoning cases (also coded as at present in ‘E’ codes as
alone, + alcohol, or + two or more compounds, one of which can be
alcohol). ‘Circumstances of exposure’ data must also be available
as now.
Choice of ‘main
poison’ in the case of a multiple overdose is not important for
toxicological purposes as information on the likely course of events
can often be inferred by knowledge of age/sex and also the toxicity of
the compounds involved.
Aim to produce
summary paper on E&W, Scotland, U.S. acute poisoning data as a basis
for comparison with deaths data generated by other countries.