The primary purpose of a medical alert bracelet is to provide information to emergency health personnel regarding your conditions or any other concerns that can help with your treatment if you are unconscious or incapacitated.
Medical ID bracelets have been used for years. Majority of emergency responders have been trained to search for this bracelet every time they triage a patient.
Since the space on traditional medical bracelet is limited and the emergency medical team needs to see all the information clearly, it is important to prioritize certain details over others.
Discuss with your healthcare provider about the information that should be indicated on your medical alert bracelet before you decide to get one.
Here are some of the most important details that you might want to list on your medical ID bracelet:
Medical Conditions
See to it that you include chronic medical conditions if you have any. Examples of these are cardiovascular concerns, asthma, epilepsy, diabetes, and others. You also have to make sure that you list those conditions that might make it impossible for you or your loved one to communicate with the emergency personnel and those that might be fatal.
Medications
In case you are using a certain blood-thinning medication, ensure that it is listed on top of your medical alert bracelet. This will inform the emergency personnel of the possibility that you are suffering from internal bleeding if you sustained some injuries. Also, if a certain medication makes you suffer from a severe allergy, this should also be listed so it won’t be administered to you during an emergency situation.
Medical Devices
Indicate if you are using or wearing a medical device such as a pacemaker.
Blood Type
If you are suffering from a blood disorder, for instance, there are instances when it is also advisable that you list your blood type.
If You Have Missing or Transplanted Organs
This is because you might be taking some immunosuppressant medications that might make you prone to infections.
Challenges with Cooperation or Communication
Having conditions like autism or schizophrenia or limitations like being deaf or nonverbal are good examples of information that you need to list on your medical alert bracelet so that medical personnel will know why you or your loved one is not responding as expected.
DNR or Do Not Resuscitate Orders
CPR is the sole medical intervention that is very important that not performing it should be ordered by a doctor. If you have a DNR order, your medical ID bracelet should say just that.
Important Instructions
These include your emergency contact number or call 911. This can also be useful even for bystanders.
Make sure that your medical alert bracelet is replaced over time in the event that there are significant changes in your medical requirements that must be indicated and updated.
The Star of Life
It is ideal for medical bracelets to feature the medical emblem called Star of Life that shows the snake and staff symbol. It will help alert responders that the jewelry you are wearing is a special type that must be checked during emergency cases.