Toxicology Screening

Excerpt

Undifferentiated patients often present with conditions that may be due to drug exposure and may require specialized diagnostic testing. Patients may present due to unintentional poisoning, attempts at self-harm, or environmental exposures. These patients will predominantly present to the emergency department For the scope of this article, the acutely ill patient requiring screening will be the focus, rather than workplace drug screens and mandated or routine testing performed in rehabilitation programs. Screening tests for exposures and drugs of abuse can vary in availability, accuracy, and utility. Knowledge of the limitations and clinical applicability of toxicologic screening is necessary to order and interpret these studies properly.