From June 27, 2002
Efforts
to Improve Health Care for Pesticide Exposure Victims
Pesticide poisonings are many times misdiagnosed. Some victims of pesticide exposure never realize the source of their illness, even after visiting a doctor. Unfortunately, most health care providers receive just minimal training in environmental illness. EPA and other government agencies have teamed with the National Environmental Education & Training Foundation (NEETF) to try to fix this problem. They have published the National Strategies for Health Care Providers: Pesticides Initiative Implementation Plan, a 10-year plan designed to improve prevention, recognition and management of pesticide poisonings in the medical field.
The initiative attempts to increase education to physicians, nurses and other health care providers of environmental health issues, with pesticide exposures providing the model approach. The plan targets three areas of the health care field: education, practice settings and resources and tools. For more information, see http://www.neetf.org/health/providers/index.shtm.