Background

Childhood poisoning represents a major public health risk in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including Palestine. Easy access to toxic substances in the household and limited preventive awareness contribute substantially to this burden. Therefore, this study assessed healthcare providers’ knowledge, practices, and training related to childhood poisoning prevention and management and identified areas that require improvement.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted from May to July 2025, including 328 healthcare providers working in governmental and private healthcare facilities in the northern West Bank. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire developed based on previously published instruments, expert review, and pilot testing. The questionnaire assessed participants’ demographic characteristics, knowledge of childhood poisoning risks, knowledge of poisoning treatment and management, preparedness, previous training, and awareness of poisoning management guidelines. We used descriptive statistics, the Mann–Whitney U test, the Kruskal–Wallis test, and Spearman’s rank correlation for the bivariate analyses. Multivariable linear regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with higher knowledge scores.

Results

A total of 328 healthcare providers, with a median age of 27 years, participated in the study, and 56.7% were female. Although nearly two-thirds had previously managed at least one pediatric poisoning case, only one in four had ever received formal training, and more than half reported limited access to essential toxicology resources. Overall, the participants demonstrated moderate awareness of poisoning risk (mean score 8.93 ± 1.54/11) and comparatively lower knowledge of treatment and management principles (mean 6.24 ± 1.81/10), with notable gaps related to the appropriate dosing of activated charcoal, initial management of corrosive ingestions, and responses to toxic plant exposures. In the multivariable analysis, awareness of national pediatric poisoning management guidelines was independently associated with higher poisoning-risk knowledge scores (β = 0.15; p = 0.011). In contrast, receipt of poisoning management training (β = 0.162; p = 0.004) and access to or collaboration with a toxicology center during poisoning cases (β = 0.281; p < 0.001) were independently associated with higher poisoning treatment and management knowledge scores. Demographic characteristics, including age, sex, profession, and years of experience, were not independently associated with knowledge scores. Nearly all participants expressed the need for updated training, highlighting persistent gaps in preparedness across clinical settings.

Conclusions

Healthcare professionals in Palestine demonstrated generally acceptable knowledge of childhood poisoning risks, but important gaps were observed in poisoning management knowledge, formal training, guideline awareness, and access to toxicology resources. Structured healthcare provider training, accessible poisoning management guidelines, and stronger toxicology support services are needed to improve childhood poisoning prevention and management.

Title

BMC Health Services Research

Publisher

Springer Nature

Publisher Country

United Kingdom

Indexing

Scopus

Impact Factor

None

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

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Year

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Pages

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