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 Family Medicine is your key to online health, safety and medical emergency resources 

Medic ID, medical alert bracelets and monitoring systems, personal health records  

• Do you wear a medical alert bracelet or medic ID jewelry?

• If you have a medical emergency at home will you be able to summon aid?

• Do you have a medical condition or take medications that put you at risk?

• Do you know what information you need in a medical emergency?

• What if you have a medical emergency while you are away from your home.

Millions of Americans have medical conditions which should be immediately known to emergency personnel. A medical alert or medic ID bracelet alone may not have enough information.

Diabetes (over 13 million), diagnosed heart disease (23 million), Alzheimers, transplant surgery, those currently on blood thinners such as Warfarin or Coumadin, epilepsy, asthma, severe allergies, cancer patients and medication allergies such as penicillin and other antibiotics are all conditions that should be brought to the attention of emergency personnel. Additionally, many of us are reasonably health but getting older (36 million people age 65 and over) and our list of medications continues to grow with the years. With over 110 million emergency room visits a year, your emergency information may actually be the most important information of your life.

What information should be maintained?

Here are just some of the things recommended by healthcare professionals.

 How can you keep your information available and up to date?

 Today you have many options that allow you to have your emergency information available. Which one you choose should be based on your personal needs and risk factors.

There is a health planner, similar to a daily business planner, called the "Jakoter Health Organizer". It is uniquely designed to sort and record family medical history, health conditions, allergies, emergency contacts, immunizations, appointments, health professionals contacts, referrals, questions and answers, charts and more.

 The “Vial of Life” program is a free program designed for seniors and individuals with serious medical conditions. It provides medical information to emergency personnel who respond to and treat home emergencies. The “Vial of Life” contains much of the medical information needed by emergency personnel, such as existing medical conditions, allergies, medication currently being taken, and emergency contact information. Medical history and emergency information forms are also available on-line from the Mayo Clinic and the American Medical Association. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Emergency Physicians have also created an Emergency Information Form (EIF) for parents of children with special health care needs.

 There are also a number of home monitoring services available that will dispatch emergency services if the need arises. Some will also maintain medical information for you and provide it to emergency personnel. These are all good solutions for the home but do not provide coverage when you are away from the house.  As a minimum, anyone with an existing medical condition or that has special emergency needs should wear some type of medical ID to alert medics to their situation. But because of the limited information available on these devices they should always be supplemented with some method of additional information.

 Digital technology allows a very large amount of information to be stored on surprisingly small devices. MedicTag LLC has adapted this technology to produce an emergency information device that fits on a key ring. The device is simple to use and works with your desktop or laptop computer. You can fill out the information form and make changes whenever necessary, always keeping your emergency information up to date. Emergency responders with a laptop or personnel at the emergency room can have instant access to your vital information, even if you are unconscious, allowing them to diagnose and properly treat you with as little delay as possible.

 Do you need your emergency information available?
For most of us the answer is probably yes. If not you, how about a child, parent or other loved one in your family? Considering the possible life saving benefits, it is something that we should seriously consider, for safety and security that affects the whole family.