Clinical toxinology specialty training

Abstract

Clinical toxinology is the medical discipline dealing with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of toxin diseases caused by exposure to venomous animals and poisonous animals, plants and mushrooms. Currently there is no national or international organisation accrediting or training doctors in this discipline, but the role of the IST in this area is the subject of a recently approved revised Constitution. A few courses covering some aspects of clinical toxinology exist, either with limited curricula, or with only a minor clinical focus, or with a very regional, non-global focus. The only comprehensive clinical toxinology course is the one provided in Adelaide, Australia, running regularly since 1997. This course may form the nucleus from which IST can develop a global accredited training scheme in clinical toxinology. Such a scheme will require input from diverse global regions and will be far more comprehensive and over a much longer time than the current Short Course, though may incorporate the Short Course in some way, or a derivative of it. Accreditation of medical expertise in clinical toxinology will be required at the national level and this might be accomplished by the IST working with existing national medical specialty organisations and governments, with the IST supervising the training and accreditation requirements and the national organisations providing the framework for registration of medical expertise at the local level.