Freedom of Information request on Yellow Card reports by profession (FOI 21/868)
Published 20 January 2022
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20th August 2021
FOI 21/868
Dear
Thank you for your enquiry dated the 22nd July, where you requested the number/percentage of Yellow Card reports broken down by profession.
Further to your request we have produced Table 1 (below) which shows the number and percentage by reporter qualification of spontaneous suspected UK Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reports received by the MHRA from 01/01/2019 – 30/06/2021. Please note we have excluded all reports concerning COVID-19 vaccines as suspect drugs. Due to the national vaccination programme and increased awareness of reporting of adverse reactions, we have received a large number of reports associated with these vaccines and as such believe that the data would not be an accurate representation of the overall reporting profile if they were included.
Please also note the qualification field is not always filled out accurately by the reporter, for example, a paramedic may have selected “Other Healthcare Professional” or “Hospital Healthcare Professional“. Therefore, the data should not be used as a basis for determining reporting rates.
Table 1: Number and percentage by reporter qualification of spontaneous suspected UK Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reports received by the MHRA from 01/01/2019 – 30/06/2021
| Reporter Qualification | Number of ADR Reports | Percentage total of ADR Reports (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Carer | 963 | 0.77 |
| Chiropodist | 16 | 0.01 |
| Community Pharmacist | 2056 | 1.65 |
| Consumer or Other Non Healthcare Professional | 19581 | 15.72 |
| Coroner | 34 | 0.03 |
| Dentist | 126 | 0.10 |
| GP | 13388 | 10.75 |
| Healthcare Assistant | 197 | 0.16 |
| Hospital Doctor | 4520 | 3.63 |
| Hospital Healthcare Professional | 1254 | 1.01 |
| Hospital Nurse | 3641 | 2.92 |
| Hospital Pharmacist | 7583 | 6.09 |
| Lawyer | 35 | 0.03 |
| Literature | 1 | 0.00 |
| Medical Student | 51 | 0.04 |
| Midwife | 104 | 0.08 |
| Not Known | 3 | 0.00 |
| Nurse | 4591 | 3.69 |
| Optometrist | 49 | 0.04 |
| Other Healthcare Professional | 18679 | 14.99 |
| Paramedic | 123 | 0.10 |
| Parent | 2552 | 2.05 |
| Patient | 18895 | 15.17 |
| Pharmacist | 7898 | 6.34 |
| Pharmacy Assistant | 1320 | 1.06 |
| Physician | 14850 | 11.92 |
| Pre-reg Pharmacist | 937 | 0.75 |
| Radiographer | 1131 | 0.91 |
| Total | 124578 | 100.00 |
The MHRA is committed to improving patient safety and strategically runs regular public health campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of reporting to the Yellow Card scheme. You may be interested to view the resources and campaigns tabs on the Yellow Card website.
The Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) are regularly informed of trends and themes in healthcare professional ADR reporting as well as any planned public health campaigns to raise awareness. You may also be interested to know that the MHRA commissions five regional Yellow Card Centres (YCCs) to support the education and promotion of Yellow Card reporting in their region, including reporting for COVID-19 treatments and vaccines. They are involved in various programmes which improve ADR reporting, including the establishment of nominated hospital pharmacists or pharmacy technicians as ‘Yellow Card Champions’. YCCs also work with devolved administrations and local healthcare professional bodies as well as local patient organisations to increase awareness and education about the importance of Yellow Card reporting for patient safety. Contact details for the 5 YCCs can be found here.
If you plan on sharing or publishing the data within this response more widely, please provide us with a copy beforehand so we can ensure correct interpretation.
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date of this response; and can be addressed to this email address.
Yours sincerely,
FOI Team
Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines Division