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Every year in the United Kingdom alone, about 100,000 people take overdoses of drugs, in many cases intentionally. The assessment of these patients presents a problem, insofar as hospital physicians may not be trained in the assessment of attempted suicide and, consequently, may not competently manage cases of drug overdose. The suggestion of the Department of Health in the UK that all such cases be reviewed by a psychiatrist prior to discharging the patient is fraught with unnecessary expenditures of resources, and is not really a viable alternative. At the same time, it is impractical to demand that all hospital-based physicians receive training in caring for cases of attempted suicide. A short, easy-to-use questionnaire has been developed to help house physicians to evaluate the status of the overdose patient. The questionnaire is intended to analyze such issues as severity of depression, purpose of the self-poisoning act, suicidal intent, whether the overdose was premeditated, diagnosis of mental disorder, risk of a repeat attempt, and future management. To evaluate the effectiveness of the questionnaire, a study of 24 house physicians was conducted. Half the group was given the questionnaire to use, while the other half asked the patients whatever questions they deemed necessary. A research assistant then blindly assessed the same 150 patients. Results were statistically analyzed. More agreement was found between the researcher and the questionnaire group in a number of areas, especially in regard to ascertaining the purpose of the act, suicidal intent, diagnosis, and further management. The most important finding was agreement between those using the questionnaire and the researcher concerning future management. This short questionnaire appears to be a useful tool for the accurate assessment of overdose patients by hospital staff who are not thoroughly trained in evaluating such cases. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)