Medical Tags Can Save Lives

Medical Tags Can Save Lives

In a medical emergency, seconds count, and when it comes to a physical ailment or injury that renders a person unconscious, Americans often are woefully under-prepared.

Though millions of Americans have some type of medical condition—asthma, a drug allergy, diabetes, a heart condition or a seizure disorder—that emergency personnel should know about, many have done nothing to help EMTs and doctors do their jobs should an emergency occur. Perhaps they presume they will be with loved ones, or overlook the fact that they might be too flustered to report relevant information, such as a drug allergy or an underlying health condition, in a critical situation.

"No matter how good an emergency room staff is, there is always the possibility of error if the patient has a condition the treating physician doesn’t know about," says Dr. Alfred Sacchetti, spokesman for the American College of Emergency Physicians and chief of emergency services at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, N.J.

Medical warning tags are an easily available and relatively inexpensive answer to this problem. Created as identification bracelets and necklaces, these tags generally have a medical insignia on the front and a brief message on the back, such as a family phone number and a description of the relevant health issue—"diabetic," for example.

Different types of tags are available from multiple sources, from the $50 tags that can be ordered through local pharmacies to an 18-karat version from Tiffany & Co. for more than $1,000. Tags created by MedicAlert, a nonprofit organization that was the pioneer in the field, offer a deeper level of service. For a $35 enrollment fee and $20 annual membership fee thereafter, members receive a tag with a description of the health situation, such as "penicillin allergy" or "pacemaker," written on it as well as a patient identification number and a toll-free, 24-hour telephone number that gives medical personnel access to more detailed information, including current medications and the phone numbers of family members and primary physician. (The medical information on file generally is relevant emergency information provided by the patient, but it can also include specifics provided by a physician.)

"From a medical standpoint, there is never a downside to having identification," Sacchetti says. "Parents sometimes tell me that they don’t want their child to be perceived by friends as being ‘different.’ But if they have asthma, a serious allergy or a heart condition, they already are different, and having them so identified can save their lives."

Dr. Marion Collins and his wife, Chrissie, of Turlock, Calif. (pop. 55,810), created the first medical warning tag in the 1950s after their daughter had a near-fatal reaction to a tetanus antitoxin scratch test. Realizing that their child could die if given a full injection, they began a small local service, MedicAlert, which has become a worldwide nonprofit organization.

For adults who are resistant to wearing a warning bracelet or necklace, they can opt for a driver’s license-size card containing pertinent medical information, since EMTs automatically check wallets to identify victims. Those with more complicated medical conditions can carry a MedicAlert membership card with patient identification and an 800-number next to their driver’s license.

While families should take responsibility for themselves, access to medical records in these types of emergencies is a goal of both the government and private industry. In 2004, President Bush called on the federal government to work toward creating personal electronic health records for Americans within the next 10 years. The health insurance industry also is on board for creating access—as long as patient privacy can be assured, says Mohit Ghose, a spokesperson for America’s Health Insurance Plans, a health insurance industry trade group.

One day we may all have Web-based health records that can be accessed from anywhere at any time. In the meantime, you can safeguard your own family’s safety by using the low-tech options that are readily available today.

Kate Kelly, author of Living Safe in an Unsafe World: The Complete Guide to Family Preparedness, lives in Larchmont, N.Y.

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