Why Mediband Was Founded
Mediband was founded in 2004 by Michael and Landy Randall. It is an Australian-owned company specialising in medical alert ID wristbands and bracelets that help save lives.
Why Mediband was founded
It was Michael and Landy’s keen observation that sparked the product idea now helping to save lives here and overseas. Michael Randall, Managing Director of Mediband, said the silicone medical wristbands were born from the premise that children and adults with life-threatening conditions or allergies were reluctant to wear the traditional metal medical bracelets usually worn by older people.
“We came up with the idea to manufacture a contemporary medical bracelet that kids and adults alike would be happy to wear — that way at least it could help to prevent them having a fatal allergic reaction,” Mr Randall said.
“The Medibands are designed to warn people of the wearer’s adverse health reaction to either peanuts, dairy, soy, wheat, shellfish, insect stings, or conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, asthma and drug allergies.”
Mediband caters for over 50 medical conditions
“We cater for over 50 medical conditions, with varying combinations, and recently released a patent-pending Mediband on which the wearer can write their conditions as well as emergency contact details with a permanent marker.”
Mr Randall said Australia has the highest incidence of food allergies in the developed world, and that this was the main topic of discussion at an annual scientific meeting of the Australasian Society of Child Immunology.
“We had a wearer contact us to tell us she had a very fortunate surgery experience owing to one of our egg allergy Medibands. The young woman claims the anaesthetist noticed the band and consequently changed to a different anaesthetic, as it contained egg protein.”
“Allergies are on the increase in adults, and one in 20 Australian children suffer from a potentially fatal food allergy, so there needs to be a clear communication system in place to ensure they are not given a food or drug causing anaphylaxis, which can kill.”
“Child care centres and schools generally are aware that food allergies can be fatal, but having an allergy identification tag on the child may save time in the playground — and in an emergency, time is critical.”
Stocked by pharmacies in Australia and overseas
Local pharmacies across Australia and overseas stock Mediband’s medical wristbands. Suzanne Felfleh, owner and pharmacist at Mosman Prescription Pharmacy in Mosman, NSW, decided to stock the bands after seeing them at an industry exhibition.
“I was so impressed by the colourful, lightweight version, because they cater predominantly for children who may not want to wear the old-fashioned kind — and it is children who are the most vulnerable in terms of their allergies and potentially fatal health conditions,” Ms Felfleh said.
Millions of people wear Mediband, doctors included
Since Mediband’s inception in 2004, over 2,000,000 people — including the elderly and children — now wear Mediband wristbands in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States.
“We are receiving an extremely positive reception from medical staff in hospitals both here in Australia and overseas, especially for MedibandPlus, a secure online medical database storing comprehensive medical and personal information,” Mr Randall said.
MedibandPlus was reviewed favourably in Pharmacy News (20 July 2012) as a viable e-option for registering a person’s personal and emergency contacts, allergies, current medications, medical notes, unique ID marks such as blood type, GP details, surgical and implant history, and donor wishes.
“We wanted to take the survival process to the next step by maximising communication should a person’s condition be triggered, or if they became unconscious. The wearer’s condition and medical history can be registered on a secure database that can be accessed anywhere in the world, at any time. We also provide a wallet card with the details printed with the web address. This can give travellers, especially retirees and families with young children, peace of mind.”
Medibands are now used by hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, medical associations, pharmacies, pharmaceutical trials, consumers, and industry for OH&S requirements.