What Information Should Be Placed on Medical Alert Bracelets?

Information That Should Appear on a Medical ID Bracelet

For the millions of people who have life-threatening allergies or medical conditions, medical alert bracelets are a vital tool. Not only can you customise them to your needs or medical condition, but it's easy for medical professionals to see. They'll be able to read it quickly at a glance.

What medical information should you put on your medical ID bracelet? What does a medical ID bracelet do? We'll go over all of this and more below.

Understanding a Medical ID Bracelet's Purpose

Medical alert bracelets let medical personnel know about allergies or medical conditions a person may have. This is critical to know in the event that they need emergency medical treatment. The goal of this bracelet is to be able to give the best treatment possible, and not cause an allergic reaction in the process. Your medical ID bracelet is a way for you to have a voice if you can't speak or if you're unconscious. 

Key Components of a Medical ID Bracelet 

Not all medical bracelets are the same, and they have key components you want to include. This will help ensure that your ID bracelet does what you need it to do when you need it most. This information generally includes: 

1. Name (first and last)
2. Medical Condition(s) (diabetes, asthma, etc)
3. Allergies 
4. Life-saving medications (such as an EpiPen)
5. Emergency Contact (name and phone number)

You don't want to include your social security number because this can result in identity theft. It's also a good idea to leave your address off. However, you want the address if the person wearing the bracelet has dementia.

You do want to update your bracelet as your medical conditions or allergies change. This is very important because it won't do you any good if it's outdated. 

Front of Your Medical ID Jewellery

• Most people don't want their names or emergency contacts showing as they go about their daily activities. This is why they put their medical condition(s), allergies and necessary medications on the front. Having this information on the front makes them very easy to see and read at a glance. In an emergency, time is critical. 

Back of Your Medical ID Bracelet

• The back of your ID bracelet sits against your wrist, and it's not visible by the general public. You typically put your name and your emergency contacts on the back. If there's room, you can also add your emergency contact's name or relationship. 

If there's too much information to list, add a card to your purse or wallet. Write to check this list on the back or front of the ID bracelet. You want to keep this list updated with the relevant information as well. 

Abbreviate Your Medical ID Bracelet

There isn't a lot of room for all of your information on your medical alert bracelets. This means that you may have to get a little creative and use common abbreviations. Using these will help you get all of your information on and in one place. A few examples include: 

• Instead of having "Allergic to Eggs," have "No Eggs" instead
• If you have severe allergies and carry an Epi-Pen, have "Carries Epi-Pen" 
• If you take medications like Coumadin, write "Coumadin" instead of "Taking Coumadin" to save space

And of course, if in doubt, talk to your health care provider, hospital or Doctor who can help you decide exactly what to include.  Don't just Google it!  Do your research and talk to the people who know. For example, we often refer customers who don't know what allergic information to include, to our friends at Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia, who are experts on all things allergy.

If more room is required, ID wallet cards are a great idea.  Mediband offers a range fo medical wallet cards with accompanying bracelets that warn a first responder to also look for the wearers' wallet card for extended medical information.

Why Choose Mediband

Mediband is an excellent choice for your medical ID bracelet or necklace. You can choose from silicone, gold or stainless steel, and you get several styles to pick from. Mediband also lets you engrave all of your relevant information quickly and easily.

Medibands are non-allergenic, safe and durable enough to last for years, and they work.  It's why major pharmaceutical companies like Bristol-Myers Squibb rely on Mediband for improving patient safety in their Opdivo pharmaceutical trials.  If you'd like to know more about Mediband, we invite you to contact us!