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The Yellow Card Scheme — used to report the suspected side effects of medicines — is to be evaluated by experts at The University of Nottingham and they need volunteers to help.
The scheme was introduced more than 40 years ago. It was originally designed to allow health professionals to record information about the side effects of all types of medicines — prescription and non prescription medicines, as well as herbal and other complementary remedies — and report this information to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA), the government agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work and are acceptably safe.
Three years ago the system was changed to allow patients to make their own reports direct to the MHRA. Researchers in Nottingham need help from volunteers to carry out one of the seven separate studies that will evaluate the change.
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The Yellow Card Scheme — used to report the suspected side effects of medicines — is to be evaluated by experts at The University of Nottingham and they need volunteers to help.
The scheme was introduced more than 40 years ago. It was originally designed to allow health professionals to record information about the side effects of all types of medicines — prescription and non prescription medicines, as well as herbal and other complementary remedies — and report this information to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA), the government agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work and are acceptably safe.
Three years ago the system was changed to allow patients to make their own reports direct to the MHRA. Researchers in Nottingham need help from volunteers to carry out one of the seven separate studies that will evaluate the change.
Tony Avery, Professor of Primary Care in The University of Nottingham’s Medical School, will lead the research. Together with the University of Aberdeen, Liverpool John Moore’s University and the Drug Safety Research Unit, Portsmouth University, researchers at Nottingham will evaluate the process and outcomes of patient reporting. Funded by the NIHR Health Technology and Assessment programme this research attempts to find out about consumer or patients views on the scheme and to test out the methods of reporting to enable recommendations to be made for improvements to the reporting system.
Professor Avery said: "The work we have done so far with members of the public has been very helpful in showing some of the benefits of patients being able to report side effects of drugs. It has also helped to show how the Yellow Card Scheme might be improved. We need more volunteers to help us complete our studies."
The scheme was changed in 2005 to capture consumers’ unique perspectives and experiences, and to provide benefit to health care organisations from consumer involvement. Patients can make a report online or via a telephone reporting line, using a paper based system, with paper forms available from pharmacies and GP surgeries.
Participants in the studies do not have to have had a side effect, but need to be willing to take part in a focus group discussion and then to make a dummy Yellow card report using two of the three possible reporting methods. They will be observed as they complete the reports to enable researchers to identify areas with which they have problems and to ask for clarification of the process as they complete the reports.
The sessions will last two hours and are being held in the School of Pharmacy, University Park Campus at The University of Nottingham on:
Monday 3rd November 10am–12noon
Tuesday 4th November 7.30pm–9.30pm
Wednesday 12th November 2pm–4pm
Thursday 20th November 10am–2noon
Tuesday 2nd December 7.30pm–9.30pm
There may be further dates arranged after those listed above.
If you are interested in participating in this study, please contact Alison Gifford on telephone no. 0115 8466911 or email Alison.Gifford@nottingham.ac.uk.
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Notes to Editors
: The University of Nottingham is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 70 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and Times Higher (THES) World University Rankings.
It provides innovative and top quality teaching, undertakes world-changing research, and attracts talented staff and students from 150 nations. Described by The Times as Britain's "only truly global university", it has invested continuously in award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia.
Twice since 2003 its research and teaching academics have won Nobel Prizes. The University has won the Queen's Award for Enterprise in both 2006 (International Trade) and 2007 (Innovation — School of Pharmacy), and was declared ‘Entrepreneurial University of the Year’ at the Times Higher Education Awards 2008.
Its students are much in demand from 'blue-chip' employers. Winners of Students in Free Enterprise for four years in succession, and current holder of UK Graduate of the Year, they are accomplished artists, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, innovators and fundraisers. Nottingham graduates consistently excel in business, the media, the arts and sport. Undergraduate and postgraduate degree completion rates are amongst the highest in the United Kingdom.