A retrospective analysis of calls to the New Zealand National Poisons Centre regarding Pacific patients
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Poisons information centres (PICs) offer advice on chemical safety, perform risk assessments over the phone in cases where a person has been exposed to a substance and provide clinical advice about management of the exposure. The term ‘exposure’, in the context of poison centres, refers to any route of contact (eg, ingestion, inhalation, dermal, etc) between a person and a substance (which can be a pharmaceutical, chemical, commercial product, etc). The New Zealand National Poisons Centre (NZNPC) offers a 24/7 specialist service for exposure enquiries from all New Zealanders, including both the general public and healthcare professionals. The service is available through a toll-free number (0800 POISON (0800 764 766)) staffed by specially trained poison information officers (PIOs), with clinical toxicologists providing clinical supervision and suppo