Activities
Offering educational programs in the field of Toxicology and Poisoning Treatment to different sectors of the community is an important segment of the Poison Control and Drug information (PCDI) Unit's activities, what makes this Unit recognizable in our country and the region as well.
Community Service & Support
The PCDI Unit coordinates with community to set up the public education programs; in order to reduce the incidence of unintentional poisonings and increase the awareness about drugs and toxic substances through the contact and collaboration with the Unit.
The Unit provides the public with poison prevention educational services through:
- Educational Presentations at a variety of locations including schools, senior centers, nurseries, businesses and professional conferences.
- Exhibits at health fairs, and other educational events.
- Media consultation.
- Educational materials distribution (brochures, telephone labels, posters...etc.)
The PCDI Unit provides training and education for many different healthcare professionals and related sectors, at different scientific subjects related to the clinical toxicology, and including the listed below:
Viewable Examples of Professional Education Programs:
- Acetaminophen overdose and its management.
- Clinical management of poisoned patients.
- Organophosphate poisoning and its management.
- The increased use and continuous exposure to pesticides & fertilizer and its effect on health.
- Drug screening in urine.
- Maternal-fetal toxicology.
- Human milk & maternal medications.
- Antibiotic misuse.
- Medication errors.
- Drug abuse.
- Drug interaction.
- Polypharmacy.
- Adverse drug reaction.
- Occupational toxicity.
- Food additives toxicity.
- Chelating agents.
- It is a time intended as a means for the nation within its national celebrations and in collaboration with health institutions, medical centers, the local poison centers, pharmacies, public health departments and those with medical interests.
- This will be held under the supervision of the local poison control center to raise awareness of the dangers of unintentional poisonings.
- More than 90 % of poisonings occur at home. The majority of non-fatal poisonings especially occur in children younger than six years old. Poisoning is also one of the leading causes of death among adults.
- The U.S. Congress has been established a National Poison Prevention Week on September 16, 1961 (P.L. 87-319). Shortly thereafter, the Poison Prevention Week Council was organized to coordinate this annual event and promote poison prevention.
- The National Poison Prevention Week, the third week in March each year, is a nationally designated week to highlight the dangers of poisonings and how to prevent them.
- PCDI Unit at An-Najah National University held, for the first time, a Poison Prevention Week in the period of 19-25/03/2006; to raise the Palestinian community awareness about poisons and how to prevent poisoning through related activities.
- Each year, the PCDI unit has adopted this week for Prevention of poisoning to reach the largest number of community sectors.
Student Education
We hold continuing education sessions for interested university faculty, and pharmacy students are designed to update them on selected topics in clinical toxicology.
A required two-credit course is offered to professional students at the College of Pharmacy. Students learn about the assessment, treatment and prevention of common poisonings.
An elective one-credit is offered to professional pharmacy students.
This course is an examination of the structure of biomedical literature and research with emphasis on the recognition, evaluation, and application of different study types and the data they produce.
The course offers students an opportunity to actual poison and drug information inquiries through the Unit's services.