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‘Steroid treatment card’ compliance is suboptimal but can be improved

Eye volume 24, pages 1409–1410 (2010)Cite this article

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Sir,

Patients attending a specialist uveitis clinic are commonly prescribed systemic corticosteroids.1 The United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency guidelines state that all patients prescribed systemic corticosteroids for >3 weeks should receive a ‘Steroid Treatment Card’,2, 3 which gives guidance on minimising risk and provides details of prescriber, drug, dosage, and treatment duration. We have audited current compliance levels. All patients prescribed ⩾5 mg daily oral prednisolone attending a specialist adult uveitis clinic (Royal Liverpool University Hospital) during a 1-month period (April 2009) were questioned on steroid card use. All patients were told about the benefits of the card. Compliance with card use was reaudited among those reattending clinic within 2 months.

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References

  1. Lightman S . Use of steroids and immunosuppressive drugs in the management of posterior uveitis. Eye 1991; 5 (Pt 3): 294–298.

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  2. Rawlins MD, Breckenridge AM, Wood SM, Waller PC, Arlett P . Using long-term systemic corticosteroids safely. In: Rawlins MD (ed). Current Problems in Pharmacovigilence, 23rd Vol. Committee on safety of medicines: London, 1997.

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  3. Feher MD, Simms JP, Lant AF . History of chickenpox and steroid cards: a new warning? BMJ 1996; 312 (7030): 542–543.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. St Paul's Eye Unit, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, UK

    P Burgess, J O'Dowd & N Kumar

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  1. P Burgess
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  2. J O'Dowd
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  3. N Kumar
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Correspondence to P Burgess.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Accepted for poster presentation at the RCOphth congress 2010.

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Burgess, P., O'Dowd, J. & Kumar, N. ‘Steroid treatment card’ compliance is suboptimal but can be improved. Eye 24, 1409–1410 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.2010.63

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