More should be done to raise awareness and promote use of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Yellow Card scheme, according to a report from Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS).
The report, published in June 2025, found that that just 10% of people who experienced medication side effects reported them through the Yellow Card scheme.
As part of the report, HIS surveyed Citizens’ Panel members on their public views concerning medicine safety, long-term conditions and preconception health and care.
Of the 563 responses received by post, email or over the phone, more than half of respondents (57%) said they had experienced a side effect or unintended effect from a medicine, the report found.
In addition, more than three-quarters of respondents (84%) had spoken to a doctor, nurse or pharmacist about medication side effects, while almost one-third of respondents (29%) had spoken to family and friends.
It is possible that low use of the scheme could be because people viewed their side effects as not significant enough to report; however, there could also be an opportunity to increase awareness of the scheme, the report said.
In the report, HIS recommends taking “action to promote and support public awareness of the Yellow Card scheme to improve underreporting of medicines’ side effects” and to “improve how NHS Scotland draws learning from the data that are collected and analysed through the Yellow Card scheme”.
On 7 August 2025, Laura Fulton, chief pharmacist of HIS, said the scheme is “vital to improve our understanding of medicines and safeguard patients”.
“I would encourage patients, members of the public and healthcare professionals to proactively utilise the Yellow Card scheme and report any concern as soon as they can,” she added.
Laura Wilson, director for Scotland at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, commented: “It is extremely important that the public are aware of the ways they can report side or unintended effects from medicines. This helps to raise awareness of the potential effects of medicines and improves medicines safety.
“The Yellow Card scheme is a fantastic initiative, which makes this process accessible and straightforward. I would encourage everyone to make use of it.
“Yellow Card representatives will be exhibiting at our RPS Scottish conference later this month, and we look forward to engaging with them and learning more about their important work.”
In a letter published in The Pharmaceutical Journal in June 2025, pharmacists Rajesh Jethwa and Nathaniel Addo said that in a small survey of 25 healthcare professionals in East London, a clear majority (84% (n=21) were aware of the Yellow Card scheme.
However, 76% of respondents (n=19) had never reported a side effects through it, which suggests underutilisation of the scheme.