Journal of Clinical Toxicology
Open Access

Abstract

Development of a Medical Toxicology Curriculum in Spanish with Content Informed by a Population Survey for Medical Trainees in the Dominican Republic

Cynthia Santos, Reynolds Kairus, Ziad Kazzi, Suzanne Bentley and Ruben Olmedo

Introduction: The aim of this study is to develop a curriculum based on the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) core content toxicology category with emphasis on exposures prevalent in the Dominican Republic (DR) as informed by a population survey. Methods: A survey was designed to identify common toxicological exposures, practices, and perceptions in community members and medical trainees in Santiago, DR. A toxicology curriculum was taught to medical residents using a curriculum made available online through the Global Educational Toxicology Uniting Project (GETUP). Results: 175 people completed the survey and 34 medical residents completed the course. The average percent of students/residents and community members reported the following, respectively: frequent substance abuse (12.2%, 44.0%), safe storage practices (21.7%, 13.7%), and traditional remedy use (15.2%, 21.8%). Community members answered 44%, medical students answered 61%, and residents answered 73% of the basic knowledge questions correctly. The mean pretest and posttest scores in the medical residents who took the toxicology course were 61% and 83%, respectively. Conclusions: The results suggest this population would benefit from education regarding safe-storage practices, the potential dangers of traditional remedy use, as well as education on the sources and effects of common exposures like lead and pesticide poisoning. Many practice high risk behaviors including substance abuse, unsafe remedy use, as well as the use of products that are either illegal or improperly labeled/handled. The long-term goals of this project are to raise awareness and implement expanded toxicology training in this country.