carrying medical information, best place About This Page:

[oldmom]

I'm trying to figure out the best way to carry my medical history and have heard of a number of different ways. Where do emergency personnel look if I'm not capable of telling them info? MedicalAlert sells a flash drive, but I'm not sure if hospitals are all capable of downloading the info. Besides it won't help first responders unless they are carrying laptops these days. I was thinking about getting a Vial of Life from the RC and carrying it. Or is my PDA a better place for it? It has a medical program that I store information in. I'm open for suggestions.

[emtpej]

I forgot to mention this in the other thread, but there are web services that will store your medical information online. I have never used any. I do not know if they are secure. One that comes to mind is webmd.com . I suggest you ask your health professional. Definitely keep of list of your RX, history, and allergies somewhere with you, including any over the counter meds and herbal / food supplements. there are also some wristbands that have fold-up papers that hold a LOT of information.

[SueM loves WDW]

I am an RN and I'd suggest MedicAlert bracelets or necklaces are your best option. They have an 800 number and your member number is on the bracelet, which allows them to get whatever information you have on file (including your doctors' numbers, your medical conditions, your medications.) That is the basic information that anyone would need in an emergency and with the physician contact information, they could get whatever other information they need. In an emergency, they don't need your whole history; just the basics, which they could get just by reading what is on the bracelet or necklace.
MedicAlert bracelets and necklaces have been around for years and First Responders are trained to look for them.

Almost all hospitals would have computers capable of reading a flashdrive, but they may be cautious about inserting one into their computers; you can never tell if a file is corrupted or infected so they may even have polices against attaching one to their computer.
A PDA would be fine if you are capable of accessing it yourself, but health care professionals would not look there.

[wendybell]

I would do an alert bracelet or necklace.

[LeapDayBaby]

Hi everyone!

In the past few years, I've discovered (the hard way ) that I have drug allergies. My DH and immediate family know about them, but I'm concerned that if I'm traveling alone - even just driving to work - and have an accident, no one will know of my allergies and might administer something that would cause a reaction. I know I should start wearing some type of medical alert jewelry, but I would like to wear something that EMTs can easily find but won't scream "hey, I have a medical issue!" to the casual observer.

Has anyone come across such a thing, and if so, where?

TIA for any and all suggestions...

- Laurie

[stonewall]

Have you seen the tags that go on your shoe laces? Also, QVC has/had some nicer medic alert-type pieces that you could customize yourself instead of having them engraved. The shoe things aren't quite as noticeable by the public, but the EMTs know where to look. I think we may have one of the Guides on here who could be of greater assistance so I'm going to contact her and ask if she'll hop over into this Forum and help out.

[stonewall]

We have another Guide who can help out with this thread., so I'm going to ask her to stop in and post her ideas. Also please look in the other thread running. Actually, I think I may combine them and make them into a "Sticky" thread so that we keep all of the information in one place. This is a great question, and, surprisingly, one we haven't tackled before!

[emtpej]

I think medic alert has a necklace that you might be able wear and it not be seen all of the time. They also have wrist watches. If this condition concerns you, should not worry about how it 'looks' but if we will get the information we need in time!

[rescuesk]

This is a great topic, and an important one.

The first, and simplest way to get information across is to tell your travelling companions. Sounds silly, right? But you would be amazed at how many people travel with family and friends and don't share their pertinent medical information with them. Even DH/DW/SO don't often know what their SO's history, allergies and medications are. It is vitally important to NOT be embarrassed about your medical history and to make sure that your group knows.

The next thing I would suggest is a med-alert bracelet or med-alert necklace. Most EMT classes teach students to look for some sort of med-alert jewelry in an unconscious/unresponsive patient. They are usually discreet, and the information on them can save your life.

A third thing is to keep a list of your medications/allergies/contact numbers and history in your wallet. Many physicians give out little cards that you can fill in with your pertinent information. A little information can go a long way. If you can't get one from your physician, make up your own on an index card, and laminate it. It's also important to update this information on a regular basis.

Another thing that I have seen recently is the use of "ICE" (which stands for "In Case of Emergency") in your cell phone. My new phone came with a section that I could program with my medical information and my emergency contact numbers. But I have to tell you, in the field, I have yet to check someone's cell phone for this information.

If you have a condition that is severe enough that you think might be a problem while you are driving, a list in the glove box of your car is a good thing. If you are on the side of the road unconscious, the police/EMS are going to take a peek in your glove box to try to find out who you are. A list taped in a prominent spot could be a great help. If it is a rental car, just leave it in the cup holder.

It's important that you have some sort of device/system in place to alert emergency personnel of what your condition is, and please, don't be embarrassed about whatever it is! : If you are unresponsive, we have a protocol that we go through which treats all the causes of unresponsiveness. If we have an idea of what is causing your condition we can try to pinpoint the problem. (for instance, if your tag says you are diabetic, we would first test and treat your blood sugar.)

A comment on the Vial of Life...they can be a great tool, but we ran a Vial of Life program up here with terrible results. A Vial of Life is basically a pill bottle but instead of medication, it contains your health information. You also get a big "Vial of Life" sticker with it. Our program handed them out, asked the recipients to fill them out and place them in their refrigerator, and then place the sticker on their front door or window so that the emergency crews would know that they had them. We found several things: 1) Once they were filled in once, they were NEVER updated again. 2) People didn't want the sticker on their front door/window, so they would put it...oh, say, on the fridge door, or on their bathroom mirror...pretty much lots of places we would never look. 3) If the sticker was actually there, the vial wasn't. It was in the closet, or under the bed, or if it was in the fridge, it was behind three weeks worth of leftovers. I hope that other counties have had more success with their Vial of Life programs then we did!

I hope this helps!

[rescuesk]

Originally Posted by emtpej

I think medic alert has a necklace that you might be able wear and it not be seen all of the time. They also have wrist watches. If this condition concerns you, should not worry about how it 'looks' but if we will get the information we need in time!

Truer words were never spoken!

[Ms_Butterfly]

I have seen MedicAlert (or similar brand items) bracelets that are sporty and don't look so old fogeyish. However, I had one person tell me that because they don't look at first glance to be medical alert bracelets, EMTs have passed over them in the search. Is this true? I don't have any allergies or diabetes or anything like that that would cause a life-threatening problem, but I do have several disabilities including Sensory Processing Disorder and a severe needle phobia, so have thought of getting one of those bracelets (though I'm not sure there'd be room to fit everything on it, as I tried filling out the form on the ordering page for the bracelet once, so I'd just put the ones they'd most need to know in an emergency on it).

Also, would EMTs/police check my service dog's gear to see if I had any medical info. on/in there (harness and small pack)? I'd rather do that than wear a bracelet (or have the bracelet as part of her leash - I'm wanting to make one that clips around my wrist like a bracelet so I don't have to hold the excess leash in my hand with the handle).

[emtpej]

Sue is right on! (We should have a sticky for this topic).
I think something like medic-alert that you wear, that can't be mistaken for something else is better than something that can be overlooked. Having your up-to date medical info (per the list posted here looking for hospital personnel) in your most identifiable 'personal space' i.e. wallet, passporter pouch, jogger pouch, fanny pack, what have you will help us to figure out what is wrong and help get you on your way fastest, is the best thing to do (That said, many of us are hesitant to rummage through patient's wallets, because people can misunderstand what we are doing). Inform your traveling companions of where you keep your info is most helpful. It can really slow things down when 20 people are saying 'she has this problem', 'she has that problem'. Your companion animal may or may not be present (for any number of reasons) while you are being examined. Most likely, you will be fine during your trip, but please be prepared!

[duck addict]

I have had a medic-alert bracelet since I found out I was diabetic. You also get a ID card to carry in your wallet. They now let you list your medications and quantities on your card.

[emtpej]

Don,
Do you use their on-line services, if that's not too personal a question?
Thanks!

[duck addict]

I use there online services to update my record and renew my membership. If I change medicine quantity, I update it and then request a new card which arrives in a couple days with the updated info (or like in January when my mail order pharmacy was changed).