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HSC is supporting a national campaign to raise awareness about the importance of reporting suspected side effects of medicines using the Yellow Card scheme.
Health & Social Care is supporting a national social media campaign by The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency [MHRA] which is focussing on polypharmacy.
Polypharmacy, defined as the simultaneous use of four or more prescription, over-the-counter or traditional medicines at the same time, can increase the likelihood of a patient having side effects.
HSC's Pharmacy Manager Janine Clarke said the Yellow Card scheme relies on the voluntary reporting of suspected side effects.
"The Yellow Card Scheme is the UK system for collecting and monitoring information on suspected safety concerns or incidents involving medicines and medical devices," she said.
"The scheme is run by the MHRA and currently relies on voluntary reporting of suspected ADRs by health professionals and patients. The purpose of the scheme is to provide an early warning that the safety of a product may require further investigation."
Healthcare professionals are also being encouraged to review their patients’ medications intake, especially when prescribing, dispensing and administrating multiple medicines.
The Yellow Card Scheme collects information on suspected problems or incidents online for medical device adverse incidents, defective medicines, counterfeit or fake medicines or medical devices and safety concerns for e-cigarettes or their refill containers (e-liquids). More information can be found here.
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