The role of the hospital pharmacy in the storage and supply of antidotes

Cases of poisoning have been analyzed with the aim of estimating both the incidence and the seriousness of such xenobiotic effects, the major determinant agents, and the related antidotes used in hospital departments. From 2009 to November 2012, a survey of the availability of antidotes in the emergency room services was carried out in all hospital pharmacies under the Palermo Health Authority: Policlinico Paolo Giaccone, ARNAS Civico di Cristina Benefratelli, Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti Villa Sofia-Cervello.Figures show that the majority of poisoning events were caused by the use/abuse of drugs, especially psychopharmaceuticals, alcohol and narcotic substances. This overdose of medical drugs and its various causes is a cause for concern and highlights the fact that this tendency has not regressed over the years. Doctors and pharmacists should raise patients’ awareness about how to use drugs correctly, and make adequate information available to all patients in order to, first, reduce the risks, and second, reduce the cost of treatment for intoxication.