Yellow books

[Geoffreymccracken]

Where do you get your INR yellow books for recording readings from.?

[BobD Volunteer]

You should be given one by the INR clinic or your doctor's surgery if you go there. If you haven't been given one and are on warfarin then ring the clinic and ask why not. If you have filled you book up then the next test they should give you a new one

.Bob

[Geoffreymccracken in reply to BobD]

Thanks bob,I'm now self monitoring and don't go to the clinic for months . Is there any reason why you can't use a little notebook ?

[AnticoagulateNow in reply to Geoffreymccracken]

The point is Geoff there seems to have been a cock-up which needs to be remedied. If you're prescribed warfarin you should have received your yellow book soon after your face-to-face briefing on the anti-coagulant. It sounds like you've been on it a while though which is puzzling......

You may well need it in the future - a dentist for example may insist on seeing it before treating you. You might have to have a finger-prick test at your clinic should you ever need an 'official' INR reading quickly but, again, they will want your yellow book in which to record it. It also has international recognition.

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Geoffreymccracken]

The yellow book is an internationally recognised document and should go with you should you travel anywhere and is often required by many departments in health service. I am surprised that you are allowed to go months without contact and have managed so long without a book. And yes it is a small book, a little smaller than a passport, not a folder. My practise gives me a print out from the coagucheck system but also insists on seeing the book and entering the INR and future dose. Since we are an international forum things may be different in countries other than UK of course. I'm on my third or fourth book in ten years!

Bob

[PeterWh in reply to Geoffreymccracken]

Your pharmacist will keep replacement books.

Where I am they give you the yellow book but I have to fill it in myself from the computer printout that I get sent the day after each blood test. I keep all the printouts in a file.

[Hidden]

At our GP surgery they will do your INR without your yellow "book". They print one out from their computer. I've lost mine a few times, as you do.

Don't know why they call it a book, as it isn't one!

Koll

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Mine is Book, and def. there should be a record of your INR mine is still done weekly, they can then change your meds accordingly, to keep it between 2-3, they also suggested that I wear a medic alert bracelet, god forbid I am in an accident.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I've never seen a book nor been offered one!!! I just get a yellow card with every result. It shows the last few INR's.

[Geoffreymccracken in reply to Hidden]

Thanks. For all your replies. I managed to get one from the clinic. Seems they are like gold dust.

It did however highlight that there is no uniform approach to this.as yet I,m not sure if this is a positive or negative thing.

Once again this site seems to be more informative than anywhere. Else .

[PeterWh in reply to Geoffreymccracken]

Well they shouldn't be unless admin are not bothering. I was told that the whole pack is made available to new patients and existing ones who request it. It is issued by the National Patient Safety Agency and the British Society for Haematology. You can then request a new "ORAL ANTICOAGULANT THERAPY RECORD BOOK" when the one in the pack is full.

[PeterWh in reply to Hidden]

I was given both a yellow book and also some yellow sheets at the start and they said I could use whichever. I chose the book.

[Bagrat]

I have a yellow folder from surgery and my results and dosage are on a print out which fits inside. The surgery uses Coaguchek. Best wishes Wendy

[Yack]

I'm surprised you've managed without a yellow book. The pharmacy I use want to see it when filling my Warfarin prescriptions.

[dedeottie]

I get a print out. No one ever asks to see my yellow book except the A.N. At the hospital. Luckily I always write the readings in there myself and take it whenever I go somewhere medical but as I say it is rarely asked for. X

[PeterWh in reply to dedeottie]

The hospital where I see my EP liked the fact that I transpose info from the printouts onto the book. I also put into a spreadsheet and in the same spreadsheet in a separate table I log all changes in medicines. This was so helpful on a number of occasions and that is how it was picked up that I was overdue blood tests and found I had liver function abnormalities.

[dedeottie in reply to PeterWh]

Yes I agree, it is good that I have somewhere to log all med / diet changes . I always sign it and the hospital accept this as good practise. It's great that the liver thing was picked up.x

[PeterWh in reply to dedeottie]

That was three months ago and was picked up by pharmacist at the 20 min medicine review with her. As I had mostly used one pharmacy they had 95% of the information but my sheet helped. That is why I have encouraged people to get a free pharmacist review - they know more about the drugs than many doctors and also the interactions. As she said she said they provide medicine for multiple doctors for multiple surgeries.

[soupersue]

I have a yellow folder which no one has ever asked to see. There is no where to write anything, its just a folder. The clinic give me a print out after each test and I throw the last print out away in their bin so it can be shredded. Should I be keeping all the old print outs? I do carry the yellow folder with me most of the time.

[Gaygay45]

I have been self monitoring for 2 years. I ring my result through to the clinic and they ring back with any change in dose and date of next test. They follow that up with a letter with same info. I record it all in my yellow book but no-one has ever asked to see it. I use to remind myself. The CoaguChek machine also keeps all the readings in its memory.

I have been fortunate in being consistently in range and only need to do a test every 3 months. I sometimes do extra ones for my own peace of mind like recently when I had some big bruises. Every 6 months I take my machine to the clinic and they check it is accurate by comparing with theirs.

I always take my machine with me when away from home for a week or more. I have checked my INR when I have been on long holidays abroad because of change in diet etc.

To anyone on Warfarin I would recommend self- monitoring

[wendicarro]

These comments are really surprising, seems a lot of clinics treat this differently? I was given a yellow book and also had to take it with me wherever I went especially for other medical appointments and def when I went to pick up a new script for warfarin

as chemist always asked to see it.

Wendi

[Offcut]

We no longer have a yellow book as a replacement but a sheet that shows your last 3 INR test results and treatment. It does state somewhere that if you lose or run out of warfarin then a chemist is obliged to supply enough to get your next prescription. This I think is in the EU too. But I am sure it says with the production of the yellow book which does confuse the matter?

[barnes12]

The inr clinic supply it karen

[paolina]

It probably is something to do with the EU, Offcut, here in Italy I get a paper with the last 3 readings and the new one and the dose of Warfarin I have to take. As I can get the results on the internet the same day in fact within hours of having the test), I find it a lot more efficient than the yellow book, which they insisted on giving me the first time I had a test in UK during a holiday.

[pattiannj]

I have never been asked to show my yellow book when collecting my warfarin from the chemist. I self test & adjust my dose myself. My Coaguchek is checked by the surgery every 20 tests. I can always ask my surgery for help if needed

[Lesley61]

Have a yellow book and when I was hose boud the DN came and when I got my results back by phone or on a slip I put in my yellow book all time but never been asked for my yellow book at the chemist just ask me if have regular text

[PeterWh in reply to Lesley61]

Every time I collect Warfarin I am asked to show the latest blood test computer printout (that we are sent after each blood test). The printout only shows the last test result. I then write in the result into the yellow book.