• Time and type of exposure
• Other drug use
• Source of medication
• Suicidal intent
• Past medical history
• Previous self-poisonings

The physical examination is largely directed toward the assessment of basic life functions, level of consciousness and defining any toxicological syndromes. The most commonly seen toxicological syndromes ('toxidromes') are cholinergic, anticholinergic, sympathomimetic, neuroleptic malignant, opioid and serotonergic.

Preformatted admission charts

Patients in our hospital are admitted using a preformatted toxicology admission sheet. The admission sheet guides the admitting officer through most of the elements that are required to define various toxicological syndromes. The standardised admission sheet is useful for clinical research (where it improves the quality and quantity of information recorded) and also assists telephone consultations.

Buckley NA, Whyte IM, Dawson AH, Reith DA. Preformatted admission charts for poisoning admissions facilitate clinical assessment and research. Ann Emerg Med 1999; 34(4 Pt 1):476-482.