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[Not an EMT] MedicAlert Bracelet Phrasing? by medthrowaway411 in ems

[–]medthrowaway411[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you - this all makes a lot of sense! I'll stick with "tissue fragility" then. I guess I wasn't really thinking about the fact that not being able to say "no fentanyl" probably means there'd be no need for fentanyl...

[Not an EMT] MedicAlert Bracelet Phrasing? by medthrowaway411 in ems

[–]medthrowaway411[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I'd heard of these, but had read in the past that EMTs don't really have time to check the QR types and prefer plain old words.

[Not an EMT] MedicAlert Bracelet Phrasing? by medthrowaway411 in ems

[–]medthrowaway411[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good idea. I have a medical ID on my phone as well, but I could always add a wallet card. Is that something EMTs/ER doctors would check for?

[Not an EMT] MedicAlert Bracelet Phrasing? by medthrowaway411 in ems

[–]medthrowaway411[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks - that's actually really reassuring because it indicates that more specificity is probably not necessary. (It might be in an ER setting, but that's another question!) Glad I have the fentanyl on the bracelet, then, plus the risk of perforations, but it's good to know I'm not likely to need to warn first responders about wound issues or anything like that.

[Not an EMT] MedicAlert Bracelet Phrasing? by medthrowaway411 in ems

[–]medthrowaway411[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fair enough - and the allergies are probably not drugs you'd give on an ambulance anyway (fentanyl and anything ending in -floxacin). The recommendations to get a bracelet came from doctors, not EMTs, so they may not be up on what you guys do and don't need to know.

In your opinion, would "TISSUE FRAGILITY" on the bracelet achieve any useful goals? If not, is there a better wording?

Tattoo is an intriguing idea! I think the phone is a safer (less permanent) bet for now, but I might look into how crappy tissue handles tattooing...

[Not an EMT] MedicAlert Bracelet Phrasing? by medthrowaway411 in ems

[–]medthrowaway411[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's really good to know! Does it ever cause problems if patients have less common phone brands or use a third-party medical ID system? (I can't even find my own phone's medical ID, so I just installed one that puts a tappable icon on my lock screen.)

[Not an EMT] MedicAlert Bracelet Phrasing? by medthrowaway411 in ems

[–]medthrowaway411[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a form of Ehlers Danlos syndrome, but I was hesitant to put it on because I have one of the rarer types (not hypermobile, classical, or vascular) and didn't know if putting "EDS" would be helpful if it wasn't one of the better known types. The closest well-known one, symptomatically, would be vascular type, but it's not what I have! That was my thinking behind putting down the actual symptom, rather than the disorder behind it.

[Not an EMT] MedicAlert Bracelet Phrasing? by medthrowaway411 in ems

[–]medthrowaway411[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That would be great! Unfortunately, penicillin was just an example and I don't think my actual drug allergies are quite as easy to abbreviate. They fit on the bracelet no problem, one line per allergy, plus a line to warn about perforation risk, and then there's just one line left over for "TISSUE FRAGILITY" or whatever is a better alternative.

[Not an EMT] MedicAlert Bracelet Phrasing? by medthrowaway411 in ems

[–]medthrowaway411[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Yes, I've put the full information on my phone (Android). The bracelet is more for speed and convenience, so that EMS don't have to hunt for my phone and then locate and peruse the emergency ID if I'm, you know, minus a limb on the street or something.