“The steroid treatment card acts as a reminder to patients about the potential side effects and dangers of abrupt cessation, as well as a warning to healthcare professionals about patients medication status: ultimately it aims to ensure patient safety”

Elizabeth Rusby, a 4th year medical student at Manchester University, has published an interesting report in the BJGP following an audit of a small group of patients who were being prescribed long term steroids. The paper concludes that despite the British National Formulary guidelines that advise on carrying steroid treatment cards, 53% didn’t have a card and only 2 out of the 19 patients revealed that they carried their card at all times.

“these findings reflect those of Zeppetella’s survey (which was reported back in 1998!), suggesting that this may be a long-standing, widespread problem”

If it’s so obvious that what we’re doing isn’t working why aren’t more of us trying to start leveraging the most widely spread technology on the planet – the device we take everywhere and persist in keeping at arms length?

How long before drug manufacturers awaken to this simple mHealth opportunity and put QR Codes on their boxes to enable patients to download and display a relevant screensaver?