#MedSafetyWeek
#MedSafetyWeek 2023 (6-12 November)
#MedSafetyWeek is a social media campaign that takes place annually usually in November and each year there is a different focus or theme to encourage the reporting of suspected side effects.
This year will be the eighth annual #MedSafetyWeek social media campaign and it will take place on 6 to 12 November 2023. This year’s campaign will focus on who can report. Patients, doctors, nurses, and pharmacists all have a key role to play in the cycle of medicines safety. We want to explore the different perspectives that come from these groups and how the information they provide can help make medicines safer.
In the UK, we will focus on the importance of reporting suspected adverse reactions to medicines and vaccines but we are also encouraging the reporting of suspected problems with medical devices or other healthcare products to the Yellow Card scheme. We ask healthcare professionals to support the campaign and talk to their patients and colleagues about side effects and how they can report suspected problems to the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.
Watch this space for materials and links around mid October 2023.
#MedSafetyWeek 2022
Last year, the theme for the campaign was “how patients and healthcare professionals make safety work”. Read more about it in our Drug Safety Update article. See our press release.
Patients and healthcare professionals can also show their support by sharing the MHRA messages and material below and from the MHRA social media channels. When posting please always use the #MedSafetyWeek and #MHRAYellowCard hashtag to help extend and magnify the message.
In addition to supporting on social media, please feel free to use these useful links to support and raise awareness locally:
under our resources section, you will find downloadable materials to help you raise awareness locally and encourage reporting, such as:
posters in general, including a #MedSafetyWeek A4 downloadable poster to print for and put up in waiting areas or exhibition stands, and a digital poster for TVs or screensavers.
e-learning modules for healthcare professionals which count for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) credits
you can also see our case studies page for examples of regulatory action taken by the MHRA after receiving Yellow Card reports
other materials, including those from or previous #MedSafetyWeek themes that can be accessed here
for more information about side effects see here
information on #MedSafetyWeek on the Uppsala Monitoring Centre’s website and more detail on how med safety cycle works
Two animations for #MedSafeyWeek 2022 are below which can be posted on social media (right click and save to use).
Animation 1:
Animation 2: