Medical ID tags, no matter what form they take, are looked for as part of standard practice by emergency responders and medical personnel.  By alerting doctors and first responders to conditions such as allergy sensitivity, blood group and medications being taken, much time can be saved and there is no doubt that lives have been saved because of the information contained on such identification tags.

Medical identification tags are suitable for many more people than those with an allergy or a condition such as diabetes, in fact there are many more instances where medical personnel need to be alerted and can be easily enough.

If a patient has any of the following, a medical identification tag will assist in identifying both the patient and more importantly, the condition which they suffer from:

• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Atrial Fibrillation
• Diabetes (type 1 and 2)
• Angina
• Low Blood Pressure
• Arrhythmias
• Pacemakers
• Surgical issues e.g. heart surgery, cancer treatment
• Transplant
• Epilepsy
• Medicine Use (especially where multiple prescriptions are being taken)
• High Blood Pressure
• Benign Intracranial Hypertension
• Hypertension
• Low Blood Pressure
• Allergy information

Once a medical responder understands you suffer from a set of conditions or are taking a particular type of medication, treatment options can be much more rapidly assessed.  Vitally, avoiding some treatment regimes is essential for certain types of patient – if a patient is recovering or taking medication as a consequence of a heart condition, then certain standard drugs for pain control must be avoided or else there is serious risk to life.

Medical identification tags are also becoming more “intelligent” – the obvious development with tags was to include patient identifiers such as name, address and next of kin, but with advances in technology, a new generation of smart tags are under development.  Using microchips, much more information can be stored and indeed, there is no practical or theoretical limit to the amount of information which can be stored in this way.

Imagine a scenario where an unconscious individual is admitted to an ER facility, and while the patient is as yet unknown, the medical identification tag contains a chip which holds a copy of the patient’s medical records.  By using the appropriate reader, medical responders can access the entire medical history of the individual including such ancillary information as insurance coverage so they know the bill will be settled prior to treatment being provided!  It has not been unknown for essential treatment to be withheld or delivered after considerable delay while such administrative issues have waited to be resolved – cold comfort to you if you are the patient in this instance.

Development of medical identification tags is flowing into other identification and tracking areas.  RFID technology for instance, has been used for some time to track moveable assets, but the application to people has been discouraged in many instances because of the threat to civil liberties. So far, application has been restricted to those prisoners who are sentenced to house arrest but there are obvious medical applications for those who suffer from dementia for instance.

One thing is clear, the days of a simple metal tag with a blood group imprinted upon it have become numbered – the days of the smart medical tag are almost upon us.

Today, the idea of ordinary men and women running a marathon, followed by a lengthy bike ride and punctuated by a cooling couple of miles swimming is not so far-fetched!  My brother-in-law completed three Iron Man competitions last year and only quit this year because his wife has put her foot down.

The growth in outdoor and extreme sports activities has increased the need for vital personal information to be carried by participants.  Sports requiring high levels of exertion create situations where participants need assistance and sometimes urgent medical intervention as the human body is pushed to extreme limits.  It is not only the high exertion levels which create high risk for those taking part; many long distance or extreme sporting activities take place in areas which are remote or without readily available medical assistance on hand making and the difference in treatment for a heat victim with diabetes and one without can mean the difference between life and death as one simple example.

Many sports ID label kits use some form of wrist band to carry personal identifier and medical information but personally, I cannot stand a wrist band attached when I’m running; it’s just a mental thing with me but fortunately there are alternatives. The shoe pouch for instance, provides a simple and cost effective means of carrying my identity and contact information safely and securely attached to the laces of my running shoes; it doesn’t interfere with my running and I don’t have a wannabe fashion icon strapped to my wrist which makes me feel uncomfortable.

Other variants include ankle straps, id chains and you can easily find sports apparel suppliers with built in pouches and pockets designed specifically for carrying identification and medical information and still provide the functionality and sport utility you need for your sport enjoyment and performance.

Fortunately, the overwhelmingly vast majority of missing children are located and very quickly with the bulk of cases of missing children resulting from losing a child at the store or fair through to more involved family squabbles and disputes.  Children are generally not exposed to a significantly higher risk of coming to harm in such cases but the impact upon parents and guardians cannot be underestimated and this is vastly increased for the child in question.

Locating a missing child and reuniting them with their family is an urgent and desperate necessity and yet so many children have nothing to identify them, not even a telephone number for home.

Identity bracelets provide a convenient and secure method of ensuring your child can be identified and more importantly has contact information for you or whoever is caring for the child in question.  Many identification kits are available as part of a package of missing child prevention programs run in tandem with government agencies and voluntary organizations.  Identifying your child and getting in contact with the parents is only part of the equation when it comes to reuniting a child with their family; children who have medical conditions for instance requiring regular or sporadic intervention such as diabetes or epilepsy can be carried at all times.

Fortunately, ensuring your child can be identified and you can be contacted immediately they are located is something that you are not likely to need in practice.  Missing children are a common feature in our psyche simply because of the huge apparatus that exists to locate missing children when this emotional and traumatic incident occurs, however it is a rare occurrence that does not affect most children while growing up though the concern is whether it will be our own child who is lost or missing next.

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Wearing diabetes bracelets is advisable not only when traveling in different areas of the world but also when one is around the home area. This should identify one and the condition just in case one gets hurt or becomes unconscious. The situation does not even have to happen in remote areas for this identification tag to be of help.

It is a known fact that when one is having a hypyglycemic event, usually he is irritable and uncooperative and may not answer questions asked of him by paramedics who are ready to help. Besides, the symptoms of hypoglycemia sometimes mimic those of a drunk and people may not want to help thinking it serves the person right for consuming more alcohol than he can handle.

This is one reason why diabetes bracelets or other medical identification products can help to make sure that proper treatment is made available in an emergency situation. No one should travel without some kind of personal identification labels.

There is also a new product in the form of a keychain which can hold four glucose tablets. This is especially designed for type 1 diabetics who drive. In an emergency situation as in a hypoglycemic episode, one can just take the glycemic tablets to treat hypoglycemia. In fifteen minutes one can feel as good as new. If not, call for help right away.

There are other identification tags that will do the job of diabetes bracelets. There are decals with the words “Diabetic Driver” on them that can be affixed on the inside of the windshield. This will alert the police or any paramedics that may happen to come to the car to provide help.

There are also wristbands that come in a variety of colors for both adults and children that have the word “Diabetic” embossed on each plus the caduceus which is the medical symbol. I don’t know where to get them yet but visit the resource below from time to time as it will be there as soon as the information is available.

Sometimes children, especially boys will not want to wear this kind of jewelry. There is something available for them and it is in the form of a tag that can be tied up in the sneakers. This way when he exercises without considering the schedule of his meals and insulin dose, then he is covered when an emergency arises.

This identification tag or other medical ID’s also come in the form of a charm in 14 kt gold or in sterling silver for different sports, each one with the caduceus symbol. There also other types called Beaded Daisy which are easy to wear and 100% waterproof.

Some diabetes bracelets and necklaces can have this text written on them: I HAVE DIABETES PLEASE TEST MY BLOOD BEFORE TREATING ME. Isn’t that neat? Now there will be no excuse for making mistakes that could be fatal.

So, don’t forget to put some form of diabetes bracelets or medical id’s in the tool box because this will identify one when he gets hurt in an accident or injured in some other way especially when he becomes unconscious. There is no excuse for not wearing one as they come in different colors and sizes. There are even some designer ones, too.

Please visit these sites for more diabetes help:

Diabetes Bracelets and Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Hypoglycemia Symptoms

Brief Biography: Dr. Guzman worked for the Atlantic Health Corporation and was consultant to St. Joseph’s Hospital, Sussex Mental Health Clinic, and St. Stephen Mental Health Clinic for many years. He was Director of Forensic Psychiatry at Centracare for ten years and published numerous articles in the Journal of the American College of Forensic Psychiatry and other medical magazines.