Press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 3, 2016

First online app for poison emergencies augments traditional services

An app that can save lives

Washington, DC. - webPOISONCONTROL^®  is the first App for poison emergencies. It was developed by the National Capital Poison Center and is being used by Poison Centers in New Mexico, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nebraska, Utah, Ohio, Virginia and DC. A new study in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine finds that webPOISONCONTROL augments traditional poison center services. More than 91% of  its users found the tool quick and easy to use.

In seven easy steps, the webPOISONCONTROL tool determines how dangerous an exposure is based on the substance and amount swallowed, age, weight, symptoms and time since exposure. Geolocation is conducted to make the case available to the appropriate poison call center should further guidance be required. For people who took too much of a medicine or swallowed something that might be poisonous, webPOISONCONTROL can help decide if it's safe to stay home, or if a call to a poison center or visit to an emergency room is required.

The free webPOISONCONTROL app includes 42,000 products linked to 1,240 ingredient algorithms (as of August 2016). More than 185,000 barcodes allow mobile app users to scan the product container. The app has already been used to guide the care of 20,400 poisoning cases.

Toby Litovitz, MD and Executive & Medical Director of the National Capital Poison Center: "Some are embarrassed to call or fear being judged. Others feel an app is more convenient, even faster, than calling a hotline, especially when there‘s a crying baby. But the public should know that it’s always OK to call a poison center (1-800-222-1222 in the US)."

Toby Litovitz: "We noted many inaccuracies in poison information that is currently available on the web. webPOISONCONTROL was developed to make expert guidance for a poison exposure more accessible and respond to the need for a trusted online resource for poison emergencies, especially the need for an app that provides reliable, case-specific recommendations. Many people just won’t call."

The app is available online at www.webpoisoncontrol.org, or can be downloaded on mobile devices from the App Store or Google Play.

About the study

webPOISONCONTROL’s first 9,256 cases were just analyzed in a study https://www.ajemjournal.com/article/S0735-6757(16)30230-3/pdf in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine (published in August). The study found that the app is safe, quick, and easy to use. Cases analyzed occurred from February 11, 2015 through February 25, 2016. 73.3% were triaged to home, 2.1% to an emergency department, and 24.5% directed to call poison centers. Children younger than 6 years were involved in 75.2% of cases. Automated follow-up was done in 31.2% of home-triaged cases; 82.3% of these had no effect. No major or fatal outcomes were reported. Median case completion time was 4.1 minutes.

About the National Capital Poison Center

(Updated 2025)

The National Capital Poison Center, founded in 1980, is an independent, private, nonprofit organization. It provides online guidance throughout the US, including triage and treatment for poison emergencies, delivered through webPOISONCONTROL, its fully-automated, expert-powered tool.

The mission of National Capital Poison Center is to prevent poisonings, save lives, and limit injury from poisoning. By providing an online tool to complement call center services, the Center leverages webPOISONCONTROL to provide access for all, even those who cannot or will not use the telephone to call. In addition to saving lives, immediately accessible expert guidance for poison exposures decreases health care costs for poisoning cases. Each year, just over 2 million human poison exposures are reported online or called into poison centers.