Experiences of Emergency Physicians on Scorpion Stings

Abstract

INTRODUCTION and PURPOSE: This study aims to evaluate the level of knowledge and approaches of emergency physicians about scorpion stings. MATERIALS and METHODS: In the study, aquestionnaire including 16 questions was administered to emergency physicians about their titles, length of service in the emergency department, geographical region and institutional information, experiences with scorpion stings, treatment approaches, and hospitalization information of the patients. RESULTS: A total of 282 physicians participated in the study. In emergency medicine physicians (EMPs), regularly checking the availability of scorpion antivenom (p=0.01), taking precautions for complications before antivenom administration (p=0.03), and preferring intravenous (IV) route for scorpion antivenom administration were found to be significantly higher compared to other title groups. Needing consultation before scorpion antivenom (p=0.01) and recommending antibiotic prophylaxis to sting patients (p=0.02) were significantly lower in EMPs compared to other title groups. 31.7% (n=26) of general practitioners administered antivenom "half to the wound edge/half intramuscularly", which is significantly higher compared to other groups (p=0.01). Hospitalization problems in sting cases were most frequently experienced in university hospitals (p= 0.01). DISCUSSION and CONCLUSION: Our study indicated errors in managing scorpion sting patients and antivenom use. The necessity of reorganization of vocational and undergraduate training should be evaluated.