Actions that should not be taken with a paediatric patient who has been exposed to a potentially toxic substance

Objective: To show the preparation process by the Poisoning Working Group of the Spanish Society of Paediatric Emergencies (GTI-SEUP), of the list of things “not to do” for a paediatric patient who has been exposed to a potentially toxic substance. Method: The preparation process of the list was carried out in three phases. First: “Brainstorming” that was open to all members of the GTI-SEUP. Second: Recommendations were selected by following modified-Delphi methodology. All participants were asked to rate the proposals (from 1 = strongly disagree to 9 = strongly agree). Those with an average score greater than 8 were accepted (provided that at least two-thirds of the participants had given them a score ≥ 7), and a second consultation was made for the recommendations with an average score between 6 and 8. Third: Writing and creating a consensus of the final document was done. Result: A total of 11 proposals were initially obtained. Thirty-two of the 57 GTI-SEUP participants completed the scoring questionnaire. In the first consultation, seven “not to do” recommendations were accepted, and four obtained a doubtful average score (between 6 and 8). After the second consultation, the list was made up of eight recommendations. Two refer to general management, four to gastrointestinal decontamination techniques, and two to the administration of antidotes. Conclusion: The list of actions that should not be taken with a child that has been exposed to a possible poison is a consensus tool, within the GTI-SEUP, to promote improvement in the quality of care offered to these patients. This improvement is based on avoiding unnecessary measures, which can sometimes be harmful to the child. Resumen: Objetivo: Mostrar el proceso de elaboración, dentro del Grupo de Trabajo de Intoxicaciones de la Sociedad Española de Urgencias de Pediatría (GTI-SEUP), de la lista de recomendaciones de “no hacer” ante un paciente pediátrico que ha contactado con una sustancia potencialmente tóxica. Método: El proceso de elaboración de la lista se realizó en 3 fases. Primera: “Lluvia de ideas” abierta a todos los miembros del GTI-SEUP. Segunda: Selección de las recomendaciones, siguiendo una metodología Delphi-modificada. Se solicitó a todos los participantes que puntuasen las propuestas (del 1 = totalmente en desacuerdo al 9 = totalmente de acuerdo). Se aceptaron aquellas con una puntuación media superior a 8 (siempre que al menos 2/3 de los participantes le hubieran otorgado una puntuación