Poison Prevention: A Prescription for a Safer and Healthier Georgia

Megan Popielarczyk, MPH, BSN, RN

Public Health Fellow, Safe Kids Georgia

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Objectives

• Examine the use of existing resources to build statewide capacity

• Promoting partnership through programs• Feasibility of statewide initiatives

• Challenges and successes• Evaluation

• Challenges, successes and lessons learned

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The Problem• Poisonings on the rise

• Drug overdoses and medication poisonings

• Non-medical poisonings• Detergent Pods

• 3,468 children 14 years of age and younger treated in Georgia ERs for poisonings in 2010.

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2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20100

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

Children Treated in the ER for Poisonings in Georgia

5-14 Years Old4 Years Old And Younger

Finding a Solution

• Coordinator Needs Assessment

• 1:1 Interviews

• Literature Review

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Safe Kids in Georgia

• 32 Coalitions • 56 counties

Needs Assessment

6

35%

35%

22%

9%

Years as a Coordinator

0-1 Years

1-5 Years

5-10 Years

10 or More Years

• CNA Results (26 coalitions)• Newer coordinators• Priorities for TA/program

development• Training for coalitions members was

requested as in-depth topic specific• Developed presentation and

training on how to provide education

• 84% of coalitions willing to pilot if incentive offered• Most requested incentives $1000,

Car Seats (14) or Program curriculum

What is Out There And What Works?

• Coordinator interviews• Interviewed 13 coordinators (about half)• What they were already doing

• Education materials• Partners and forms of support• Programs/events• Other resources• Evaluations

• Lit review• What programs had been evaluated• What prevention strategies were effective

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Now What, Putting It All Together

• Selected Poison Prevention • Rising concern over medication poisonings• Existing evidence based program• Evidence based strategies• Partnership with Georgia Poison Center• Grant opportunity• Ability to measure impact

8

Program Development

• Develop Capacity of Coalitions • Georgia Poison Center Instructor Training Program

• Provide Resources• Program To Go Kits

• Create Sustainability• Partnership with the Georgia Poison Center

• Identify Promising Practices• Adolescent Poison Prevention

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Provide Poison Prevention

Instructor Training Program

Develop and Disseminate

Program To Go Kits

Develop Adolescent Poison

Prevention Program

Increased number of trained Coordinators

and coalition members

Increased delivery of

poison prevention education

Increased knowledge of trainers about poisonings in

Georgia

Increased calls to GPC

Stated behavior change leading to decreased

access to poisons

Increased use of standard messaging

Decreased hospital

admissions and ED

visits related to poisoning

Increase number of coalitions with

resources to provide standard poison

prevention education

Increased number of trained Coordinators

and coalition members

Increase number of coalitions with resources

to provide standard adolescent poison

prevention education

Increased delivery of

poison prevention education

Increased use of standard messaging

Stated behavior change leading to decreased

access to poisons

Stated behavior change leading to

decreased risk taking with Poisons

Activities Outputs Early Outcomes Intermediate Outcomes Late OutcomesInputs

Partnership with

Georgia Poison Control Center

Grant funding from the American Medical

Association Foundation

Technical assistance

with program development

(research )

Increased knowledge of participants

Program Development

• Develop Capacity of Coalitions • Georgia Poison Center Instructor Training Program

• Provide Resources• Program To Go Kits

• Create Sustainability• Partnership with the Georgia Poison Center

• Identify Promising Practices• Adolescent Poison Prevention

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Develop Coalition Capacity

• Georgia Poison Center Instructor Training Program• 3 Training sessions• 43 New Instructors

• 14 coordinators• 26 members• 3 state office staff

12

Provide Resources

• Program To Go Kits• Facilitators Guide

• Poison information• Lesson plans• Evaluation• Activities• Resource list

• Look A Like Kit• Posters• Brochures• GPC Number• Spike DVD• Spike Puppet

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Create Sustainability

• Partnerships• Georgia Poison Center• Georgia Department of Public Health Injury Prevention

Program

• Leveraging Resources• Safe Kids Worldwide

Medication Safety Grant

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Evaluation

• Early Successes• Instructor training one of the most helpful• 10 educational events (additional 40 expected)• 4 coalitions provided education, only one

repeat• Majority of attendees had never been educated

about poisonings in the past• Participants are more likely to contact the

Poison Center after attending session than before if there is an incident or question about poisons.

• Over 530 parents, children and professionals reached.

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Challenges

• Partner interests• Additional evaluation tools• Getting coalitions to use evaluation• No Spanish translation

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Tools for Replication

• SKW Medication Safety Tools

• Poison Center

• Be Poison Smart

• American Association of Poison Control Centers

• Borrow someone else’s evaluation tool

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Lessons Learned

• Know if you need IRB

• Think about contingency plans

• Know what is needed to keep partners happy

• Know when to hold‘em, know when to fold’em

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