Access to rapid laboratory analytical services in cases of acute poisoning provides better and safer patient care The Swedish Poisons Information Centre, a nationwide 24/7 service to healthcare providers and the public, answers many questions about serious cases of acute poisoning. In some of these, prompt and proper treatment recommendations can be crucial for the clinical outcome. In cases where self-reported information is missing or considered unreliable, more emphasis is placed on the clinical symptoms and results of toxicological analyses. However, rapid access to toxicological analysis for the most common set of poisoning agents varies between hospitals and laboratories. A priority list of toxic agents for which improved analytical techniques could offer a more widespread availability and rapid access to clinically important test results is presented.