Recognising adverse events and using the yellow card system

Summary

The Yellow Card scheme is a system for reporting adverse drug reactions (ADRs) from medicines or adverse incidents with medical devices in the UK, ensuring that these products are safe for both healthcare professionals and patients. Reporting these issues helps the MHRA to identify new safety concerns, review products and take action to minimise risks. Despite the role of the Yellow Card reporting system in pharmacovigilance in the UK, understanding and uptake of the scheme remains limited.

We designed a survey to explore healthcare professionals’ awareness, usage and perceptions of the Yellow Card Scheme for reporting ADRs.

Content

The aim of this study was to identify current levels of engagement, perceived barriers to reporting, confidence in identifying adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and opportunities for improving reporting practices within the East London NHS Foundation Trust. The insights gathered will inform targeted interventions to enhance pharmacovigilance and patient safety through more effective use of the Yellow Card scheme.

Organisations should consider allocating dedicated time or resource to pharmacovigilance activities. Potentially, also looking at ADR champions or leads within the department could help sustain engagement. Metrics, such as the number of reports submitted and staff confidence levels, could be used to guide continuous improvement.

About the author

The paper, published in The Pharmaceutical Journal, has been shared to Patient Safety Learning's hub by Rajesh Jethwa (Medication Safety Officer & Patient Safety Specialist, East London NHS Foundation Trust) and Nathaniel Addo (Clinical Lead Pharmacist – Triage Wards Newham, East London NHS Foundation Trust).