Introduction Pediatric poisonings represent a major and preventable cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Epidemiologic information about poisoning among children in many lower- and middle-income countries is scarce. This study describes the epidemiology of acute poisonings in children presenting to Ain Shams University's Poisoning Treatment Center (ASU-PTC) in Cairo and determines the causative agents and characteristics of acute poisoning in several pediatric age groups. Methods This retrospective study involved acutely poisoned patients, 0 to 18 years of age, who presented to the ASU-PTC between 1/1/2009 and 12/31/2013. Data were extracted from electronic records maintained by the ASU-PTC. Collected data included demographics, substance of exposure, circumstances of the poisoning, patient disposition, and outcome. Results During the 5-year study period, 38,470 patients meeting our criteria were treated by the ASU-PTC; 19,987 (52%) were younger than 6 years of age; 4,196 (11%) were 6 to 12 years; and 14,287 (37%) were >12 years. Unintentional poisoning accounted for 68.5% of the ingestions, though among adolescents 84.1% of ingestions were with self-harm intent. In all age groups, the most frequent causative drugs were non-opioid analgesics, antipyretics, and antirheumatics. The most common nonpharmaceutical agents were corrosives in preschool children and pesticides in adolescents. Most patients had no/minor effects (29,174 [75.8%]); hospitalization rates were highest among adolescents. There were 119 deaths (case fatality rate of 0.3), primarily from pesticide ingestion. Conclusion Poisoning in preschool children is mainly unintentional and commonly due to nonpharmaceutical agents while poisoning in adolescents is mainly intentional (self-harm). Pesticides, mainly organophosphorous compounds and carbamates, were the most frequent agent leading to morbidity and mortality.

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Background The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and forms of workplace violence (WPV) at the emergency departments (EDs) of Ain Shams University Hospitals (ASUH), Cairo and identify risk factors for WPV. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at the EDs of ASUH comprising attending physicians and nurses using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Interviews were conducted with patients and relatives attending these departments to explore attitudes toward WPV against healthcare workers. Results The present study comprised 108 healthcare professionals working in EDs. Verbal violence was the most common type of WPV (86.1%), followed by sexual (48.1%) and physical violence (34.3%). Patient relatives were the most common perpetrator of all types of violence. A lack of facilities was the most common risk factor for violence (82.4%), followed by overcrowding (50.9%) and patient culture (47.2%). On the other hand, approximately 78% of interviewed patients and relatives agreed that the occurrence of violence at EDs was due to several triggering factors, including improper manner of communication by healthcare workers (63.2%), lack of facilities (32.4%), waiting time (22.1%), and unmet expectations (22.1%). Conclusion WPV represents a significant issue in EDs with violent behavior against healthcare workers widely accepted by attending patients.