The Yellow Card scheme is the UK system for collecting information on suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to medicines. The scheme is operated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to monitor the safety of the medicines and vaccines on the market. TPP has implemented Yellow Card functionality across all of its 25+ modules.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the importance of reporting Yellow Cards electronically has increased as healthcare providers and the MHRA adapt to new ways of working. Alongside reporting in General Practice, TPP’s centralised model has enabled all SystmOne modules to benefit from the integrated Yellow Card reporting from within the system. This ensures that hospitals, Mental Health services, care homes and all UK prisons have access to this method of submitting Yellow Cards.
Integration makes it easy to complete and send a Yellow Card because much of the information needed can be automatically populated from patient records. At the same time, electronic reporting provides a secure, fast, and convenient method for submitting information about suspected ADRs to the MHRA. Yellow Cards from SystmOne have helped reverse a declining trend in adverse drug reaction reporting from General Practitioners (GPs) and SystmOne Yellow Cards now account for 61% of all Yellow Cards submitted by GPs in the UK.
“The great thing about the way in which SystmOne has been designed means that we are not restrained in integrating Yellow Card functionality into specific modules. It’s fantastic that our hospital trusts can benefit from this interoperability standard along with all of the NHS services we support.”
Tom Hardy, Lead System Analyst at TPP
Healthcare professionals can help adverse drug reaction reporting by always discussing side effects with patients, even during remote consultations, and reporting Yellow Cards through SystmOne. Patients themselves are also encouraged to report online or by using the Yellow Card app.
“Patient safety is our highest priority. Each Yellow Card report you submit matters and can provide new safety information. Healthcare professionals are encouraged to report suspected side effects from medicines using the Yellow Card functionality. Reporting helps to improve the safety of medicines for all patients and can result in better prescribing advice and information about patient monitoring, which can help improve adherence to treatment, and ultimately improves safe use of medicines.”
Dr Sarah Branch, Director of the Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines division at the MHRA
See here for more guidance on the Yellow Card scheme, including what to report and links to CPD e-learning modules.