The Yellow Card is a free smartphone app for reporting suspected side effects (or adverse drug reactions) to the UK’s Yellow Card Scheme. Created in collaboration with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the UK government medicines watchdog, the Yellow Card Smartphone App is the only health app that allows you to report medicine side effects directly to the Yellow Card Scheme to help the MHRA ensure they are acceptably safe for patients. Users can select specific medicines or vaccines to track and receive news and alerts about them.
Yellow Card Smartphone App Key Features
- provide a convenient alternative to using paper Yellow Card forms or the Yellow Card website
- the app is free to use for everyone on iOS and Android
- is easy to use for reporting side effects directly to the Yellow Card Scheme
- enables users to:
- create a ‘watch list’ of medications to receive official news and alerts on
- view numbers of Yellow Cards received by MHRA for medicines of interest
- see immediate response that shows Yellow Card has been accepted
- submit updates to Yellow Cards already submitted
- view previous Yellow Cards submitted through the app
Mick Foy, Group Manager for MHRA’s Vigilance and Risk Management of medicines division said:
” The contribution of patients, careers and healthcare professionals alike in reporting suspected side effects to the Yellow Card Scheme is vital. The evidence helps MHRA detect safety issues and take the necessary action to keep the public safe.
Moving Yellow Card onto a mobile app is a logical progression in this digital age, allowing us to build on the existing website to improve user engagement.
It offers some good functionality to access further safety information, and it will continue to evolve over the course of the WEB-RADR project based on user feedback. “
Life Sciences Minister George Freeman MP commented:
” The Yellow Card Scheme has played a vital role in the safety of medicines for the last 50 years and the launch of this new mobile app brings it into the 21st century.
By making the scheme accessible to researchers, healthcare professionals and millions of patients, it will not only improve the safety of reporting but ultimately better protect people’s health and support research in the NHS. “
More info and videos
- Download the free app on iTunes and GooglePlay to easily report drug side effects directly to the Yellow Card Scheme via your cell phone or tablet.
- Digital evolution for ground-breaking Yellow Card Scheme,
GOV.UK press release, 14 July 2015.