Pharmaceutical labels on prescribed medicines may be more carefully examined after patients were urged to copy down the information provided on them.

Roger Prock, a pharmacist in Missouri, told the Detroit Free Press that a recent disaster in Joplin had resulted in many patients being unable to access their prescriptions.

A tornado had destroyed the doctors' premises and all of the electronic records with it.

However, when patients came to try and collect the drugs they were on from a stand-in pharmacy, they could not remember the names either, with many simply trying to describe them by colour.

"They should have a list of the drugs in their purse. Maybe more people will think about it and do it now," said Mr Prock.

While tornadoes may be unlikely in the UK, this may still be useful advice in case of other data loss disasters.

Last month, a panel was set up by the US Pharmacopeial Convention in order to campaign for clearer pharma labels on all medicines, after it claimed that people were struggling with them as they are.

Denny Bros Ltd, 12 July 2011