RESEARCHERS EXAMINED 1008 EMERGENCY ROOM PATIENT RECORDS FROM WHICH REPORTS WERE CONTRIBUTED TO DAWN FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MEDICAL CENTER, LOS ANGELES COUNTY, IN 1977. THE DRUGS REPORTED FOR THESE PATIENTS. TOXICOLOGIC ANALYSES HAD BEEN PERFORMED ON ONLY 528 PATIENTS OR 52 PERCENT OF THE SAMPLE. THE STUDY FOUND THAT THE DAWN REPORTS WERE VERIFIED IN 20 PERCENT OF THE TESTED SAMPLE, WHILE 11 PERCENT WERE FOUND TO BE INCORRECT AND 69 PERCENT WERE PARTIALLY INCORRECT. THE THREE DRUGS MOST FREQUENTLY REPORTED TO DAWN WERE ALCOHOL, DIAZEPAM, AND BARBITURATES. DRUGS IDENTIFIED TOXICOLOGICALLY HAD VARIED CONCENTRATIONS, SOME BELOW OR WITHIN THERAPEUTIC RANGE AND SOME AT TOXIC LEVELS. THE STUDY CONCLUDES THAT A PROPER PROSPECTIVE STUDY SHOULD BE UNDERTAKEN TO DETERMINE THE RELIABILITY OF THE DAWN REPORTS. TABLES AND SEVEN REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED) (JLF)