For Health Professionals

Who we help

We get calls from:

• Paramedics in
  ambulances
• Pharmacists at
  their dispensaries
• Family physicians
  in their offices
• Physicians in
  hospitals
• Medical staff in
  emergency rooms
• Health and safety officers
  in manufacturing plants

How we help

Our front-line staff of specialty-trained registered nurses and pharmacists provide advice on poisoning to other health-care professionals, regardless of where they work or their setting. Involving a poison centre and their experts in a poisoning case results in:

• More efficient resource utilization in the medical system
• Decreased length of stay in hospital for the patient

Pan-Canadian Poison Centres Annual Reports 

Annual reports present data from all five Canadian poison centres and highlight the critical role of these centres in poison prevention efforts. The reports are released by the Canadian Association of Poison Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (CAPCCT), Health Canada and Parachute, Canada’s national charity dedicated to injury prevention. 

Reporting of incidents and concerns

Health professionals are encouraged to report adverse reactions and concerns about products. By reporting, you help identify potential safety issues, identify previously unrecognized, rare or serious adverse reactions, prompt regulatory actions and improve health product safety for all Canadians.

Membership

Connect with Toxicovigilance Canada

Toxicovigilance Canada is a trusted pan-Canadian network for intelligence, collaboration and situational assessment on drug, poison and chemical exposure events to inform timely action on poison prevention, treatment, harm reduction and management of risks associated with toxic exposures of public health concern.

The network’s more than 400 members include poison centres, provincial toxicology laboratories, public health and regulatory agencies, health and safety/security authorities, Non-Governmental Organizations, and other key stakeholders. The Toxicovigilance Canada Collaboration Centre is hosted on the Canadian Network for Public Health Intelligence (CNPHI), an online platform enabling collaboration and consultation through innovation in disease surveillance, research, and response to protect, promote, and support public health.

Contact hc.toxicovigilance.sc@canada.ca to join.

Becoming a Certified Specialist in
Poison Information (CSPI)

Both Registered Nurses and Registered Pharmacists are eligible to become CSPIs. There are no specific courses to become a CSPI: Below describes the typical process to obtain the CSPI designation.

• Obtain employment at a poison control centre (there are five across Canada, and 55 in the U.S.). Depending on the centre and the competition for the job, no prior toxicology experience may be necessary, but your knowledge and skills as a pharmacist, and other knowledge and experience (being able to talk to people in crisis; knowledge of chemistry and products for household cleaning, car maintenance, gardening) are definite assets
• Work a specified number of hours and handle a certain number of poison cases at a poison control centre
• After two or more years, write the CSPI exam administered by the American Association of Poison Control Centers
• If you pass the exam, you can use the designation “CSPI”

More professional resources