The annual Medications Safety Week forms part an international effort to raise awareness about the importance of reporting suspected adverse drug reactions with national medicines regulatory authorities from 74 countries across the globe and their stakeholders participating.
The theme of the campaign is “every report counts” and can help others in the future. This #MedSafetyWeek calls upon patients, parents, and carers, as well as healthcare professionals and their organisations, to report suspected side effects from medicines, including new treatments or medicines they have been taking or prescribing for a long time.
Medicines are safe and effective, but side effects, also known as adverse drug reactions, can happen. It is hard to predict who will experience a side effect but it is essential that any potential risks, including how a medicine is used, are understood and communicated.
Reporting helps to identify new side effects, or unexpected and serious safety problems, and gain more information about known effects. By reporting, you can help the safe use of medicines for everyone since this helps the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) to protect the public’s health through effective risk minimisation.
We advise people not to wait for someone else but rather to report side effects directly as soon as soon as you can. Because every report counts – and can help others in the future.
How to Report
Yellow Cards can be used for reporting suspected adverse drug reactions to medicines, vaccines, herbal or complementary products, whether self-medicated or prescribed. The MHRA Government website provides full guidance on reporting a Yellow Card.
Yellow Card reports can be made for suspected adverse drug reactions:
- On the Yellow Card website
- Via the mobile app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store
Reports can also be made via freephone (0800 731 6789, 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday).
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