Adverse-Event Management, Prevention and Reporting
Choose the immediate response to an adverse event, prevent recurrence and report suspected reactions through the appropriate route.
How to prepare for the PSA
Combine patient-centred prescribing judgement with fast BNF navigation, reliable calculations, complete prescriptions and explicit monitoring and communication.
Core concepts
Concept 1
Management may require stopping or withholding a medicine, supportive treatment, an antidote, urgent escalation or a monitored adjustment.
Exam cue: Assess severity and immediate physiological risk before deciding what happens to the medicine.
Concept 2
The immediate action should address clinical severity while preserving necessary treatment and avoiding abrupt withdrawal when that creates harm.
Exam cue: Pair the treatment change with supportive care, monitoring and escalation.
Concept 3
Important suspected adverse reactions should be documented, communicated and reported through the UK Yellow Card scheme when appropriate.
Exam cue: Record the reaction clearly enough to prevent re-exposure.
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Treating a severe adverse event only by documenting it.
Guardrail: Do not let a familiar medicine, reference search or calculator output replace patient-specific safety checks and escalation.
Stopping essential treatment without managing withdrawal or the underlying condition.
Guardrail: Do not let a familiar medicine, reference search or calculator output replace patient-specific safety checks and escalation.
Assuming reporting replaces immediate clinical care.
Guardrail: Do not let a familiar medicine, reference search or calculator output replace patient-specific safety checks and escalation.
Memory anchors
Stabilise First
Treat the patient's immediate harm before completing reporting tasks.
Medicine Action
Choose whether to stop, withhold, reduce, replace or continue with monitoring.
Prevent Recurrence
Update the record and communicate the reaction across care settings.
Yellow Card
Use the UK Yellow Card scheme for appropriate suspected adverse-reaction reporting.
Reporting Is Additional
Reporting supports safety learning but does not replace clinical management.
Checkpoint rule
Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.
Knowledge Check (after reading)
Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.
Check-up Questions
A patient has suspected anaphylaxis to an antibiotic. What is the complete response?
A patient develops severe skin blistering after lamotrigine. What is safest?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Continue learning
Move forward only after this module is stable.
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