How to Maintain Emergency Medical Information
Prepare a quick emergency medical information list in the way that will most maximize your chances of getting good treatment., Identify your primary care practitioner, or PCP., Where to turn should questions arise about your wishes., Keep the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Prepare a quick emergency medical information list in the way that will most maximize your chances of getting good treatment.
Set out the essentials of emergency medical information needed by medical personnel.
Put the information in a place that is easily discovered when help arrives, such as a pocket card.
In it you should list:
All medications including OTC preparations.
This is very important.
Some medications can drastically alter the course of your treatment.
Make sure that this section is complete and accurate! Include names and dosages.Medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart conditions, etc.
Doctor's information and emergency contacts.
When they are contacted they should have ready access to specific information.
Prior health history reasons for not using certain methods to assist you.
Name, Age, & Gender.
This may sound silly, but in the event of a serious trauma or burn injury, this might not be immediately evident.
How to choose one treatment over another.
This includes transplantations, pacemakers, internal implants, pregnancy, seizures, renal failure, etc.
Medication allergies.
If you're allergic to penicillin, etc.
Past surgical history.
Depending on the nature and time frame of the surgery, it may be important for the emergency doctors to know.
Include your immunization history.
Allergies, sensitivities, dietary restrictions This is also very important, especially if these allergies include any drugs.
Again, make sure that this section is complete and accurate! -
Step 2: Identify your primary care practitioner
Include the doctor's name, address and any and all phone/fax numbers you have for him/her.
Your doctor will expect that they will be contacted in such an event, but letting them know you have put this together is always a good idea. , Family members, doctor, etc. should be contacted if you need a transfusion, operation, etc.
Emergency contact(s).
Your spouse, sibling, parent, child, anyone whom you trust enough to be the first to know about your condition, since this will likely be the first person the ER contacts.
Of course, be sure to let the person know they are on this list, and if possible, give them a copy of this information.
Specifically note if this person is named in a Durable Power of Attorney or Advanced directives.
Advanced directives This is just as important for your loved ones as it is for you.
This is a difficult issue for most people to deal with when they have all the time they need to think it over.
It can be all but impossible to think clearly during medical emergencies.
If your wishes are made clear to your family and kept in writing, it will make it easier for your family and your doctors.
They will have your wishes well documented and can thus more reliably abide by them, and they will know your wishes ahead of time and will not have to decide for you in such a difficult time. , Although there isn't time to be reading your entire life story, details will be important. , After all, this information is of little use if doctors, paramedics, and EMTs don't have immediate access to it in the event of an emergency.
Here are a number of ways to keep it close to you: , Make it credit card or business card size, or fold it to fit.
Put the file on a small jump drive or other data medium which is kept on your person.
This may be more practical for the elderly or chronically ill, whose medical histories/information tends to be too extensive to fit a simple sheet of paper.
In the latter case, just be aware, however, that fancy electronics aren't always going to be helpful when in the heat of the moment, or when being treated remotely, and having paper back-up makes good sense.
Wherever your information is, it should be clearly labeled so that a first responder looking through your belongings for any vital information will see it in the hurried environment of a trauma or other medical emergency.
If you make it brightly colored it will be easier to find.
Add the emergency contact information to your cell phone or PDA cell phone by making a contact named "ICE" (In Case of Emergency) with the phone number of your contact.
Both emergency responders and civilian good Samaritans who also have ICE entries in their phones will know to check your phone or PDA for this information.
There are also products available which can carry or provide access to a database with your medical information.
Such products may be easier for emergency personnel to identify.
The LifeGuard30 device, for example, is clearly marked with the Rod of Asclepius (the universal symbol of the medical profession to indicate medical records are available) and attached to a keychain. , Ideally your vital information should be updated periodically.
This means that you should update it after every doctor's visit.
If you're keeping it on the computer, get into a regular habit of updating and printing off again when you return home or to the office after the visit.
If you are using a paid service to update your information, follow their instructions on updating. , You are responsible for ensuring that all children in your care are adequately covered by this information.
You might be too distressed, or even injured or unconscious yourself, to be able to speak for them in the case of an emergency. -
Step 3: or PCP.
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Step 4: Where to turn should questions arise about your wishes.
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Step 5: Keep the information list brief
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Step 6: but as detailed as possible.
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Step 7: Keep the information on your person at all times.
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Step 8: A simple way is to print out a page from on your home computer with all the necessary information and either: Keep a print-out of the information in your wallet/purse.
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Step 9: Keep the information list up-to-date.
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Step 10: Consider ensuring that all family members have recorded their emergency medical information in the same way.
Detailed Guide
Set out the essentials of emergency medical information needed by medical personnel.
Put the information in a place that is easily discovered when help arrives, such as a pocket card.
In it you should list:
All medications including OTC preparations.
This is very important.
Some medications can drastically alter the course of your treatment.
Make sure that this section is complete and accurate! Include names and dosages.Medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart conditions, etc.
Doctor's information and emergency contacts.
When they are contacted they should have ready access to specific information.
Prior health history reasons for not using certain methods to assist you.
Name, Age, & Gender.
This may sound silly, but in the event of a serious trauma or burn injury, this might not be immediately evident.
How to choose one treatment over another.
This includes transplantations, pacemakers, internal implants, pregnancy, seizures, renal failure, etc.
Medication allergies.
If you're allergic to penicillin, etc.
Past surgical history.
Depending on the nature and time frame of the surgery, it may be important for the emergency doctors to know.
Include your immunization history.
Allergies, sensitivities, dietary restrictions This is also very important, especially if these allergies include any drugs.
Again, make sure that this section is complete and accurate!
Include the doctor's name, address and any and all phone/fax numbers you have for him/her.
Your doctor will expect that they will be contacted in such an event, but letting them know you have put this together is always a good idea. , Family members, doctor, etc. should be contacted if you need a transfusion, operation, etc.
Emergency contact(s).
Your spouse, sibling, parent, child, anyone whom you trust enough to be the first to know about your condition, since this will likely be the first person the ER contacts.
Of course, be sure to let the person know they are on this list, and if possible, give them a copy of this information.
Specifically note if this person is named in a Durable Power of Attorney or Advanced directives.
Advanced directives This is just as important for your loved ones as it is for you.
This is a difficult issue for most people to deal with when they have all the time they need to think it over.
It can be all but impossible to think clearly during medical emergencies.
If your wishes are made clear to your family and kept in writing, it will make it easier for your family and your doctors.
They will have your wishes well documented and can thus more reliably abide by them, and they will know your wishes ahead of time and will not have to decide for you in such a difficult time. , Although there isn't time to be reading your entire life story, details will be important. , After all, this information is of little use if doctors, paramedics, and EMTs don't have immediate access to it in the event of an emergency.
Here are a number of ways to keep it close to you: , Make it credit card or business card size, or fold it to fit.
Put the file on a small jump drive or other data medium which is kept on your person.
This may be more practical for the elderly or chronically ill, whose medical histories/information tends to be too extensive to fit a simple sheet of paper.
In the latter case, just be aware, however, that fancy electronics aren't always going to be helpful when in the heat of the moment, or when being treated remotely, and having paper back-up makes good sense.
Wherever your information is, it should be clearly labeled so that a first responder looking through your belongings for any vital information will see it in the hurried environment of a trauma or other medical emergency.
If you make it brightly colored it will be easier to find.
Add the emergency contact information to your cell phone or PDA cell phone by making a contact named "ICE" (In Case of Emergency) with the phone number of your contact.
Both emergency responders and civilian good Samaritans who also have ICE entries in their phones will know to check your phone or PDA for this information.
There are also products available which can carry or provide access to a database with your medical information.
Such products may be easier for emergency personnel to identify.
The LifeGuard30 device, for example, is clearly marked with the Rod of Asclepius (the universal symbol of the medical profession to indicate medical records are available) and attached to a keychain. , Ideally your vital information should be updated periodically.
This means that you should update it after every doctor's visit.
If you're keeping it on the computer, get into a regular habit of updating and printing off again when you return home or to the office after the visit.
If you are using a paid service to update your information, follow their instructions on updating. , You are responsible for ensuring that all children in your care are adequately covered by this information.
You might be too distressed, or even injured or unconscious yourself, to be able to speak for them in the case of an emergency.
About the Author
Carl Long
With a background in lifestyle and practical guides, Carl Long brings 5 years of hands-on experience to every article. Carl believes in making complex topics accessible to everyone.
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