WHY WAS MEDIBAND FOUNDED?

Mediband was founded in 2005, by Michael and Landy Randall.  Mediband is an Australian owned company which specialises in creating medical alert ID wristbands and medical bracelets which can help save lives.

It was Michael and Landy's keen observation which sparked a product idea which is helping to save lives both here and overseas. Michael Randall, Managing Director of Mediband said the silicone medical wristbands were borne from the premise that both 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 Different Medical Conditions

“We cater for over 50 medical conditions, with varying combinations and recently released a patent pending Mediband which the wearer can write their condition(s) as well as emergency contact details on with a permanent marker.”

Mr Randall said Australia has the highest incidence of food allergies in the developed world, and was the main topic for discussion at an annual scientific meeting of the Australasian Society of Child Immunology.

“We had a wearer contact us to tell us that she had a very fortunate surgery experience owing to one of our egg allergy medibands. The young woman claims that the anaesthetist noticed the band and consequently changed to a different anesthetic as it contained egg protein”, he said. 

“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.”

Local pharmacies in Australia-wide and overseas stock Mediband’s medical wristbands. Mosman Prescription Pharmacy, located in Mosman, NSW, owner and pharmacist Suzanne Felfleh said she decided to stock the medical 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. “The other advantage they offer is the associated MedibandPlus online service which enables paramedics and medical staff direct access to critical health information whenever it is needed.”

Millions of People Wear Mediband Medical ID, Doctors Included!

Since Mediband’s inception in 2005, over 2,000,000 people including the elderly and children are now wearing Mediband wristbands in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States.

“We are receiving an extremely positive reception from the medical staff in hospitals both here in Australia and overseas, especially MedibandPlus, a secure online medical database storing comprehensive medical and personal information,” Mr Randall said.“We are gaining a great deal of positive feedback from the medical industry for this service and we recently had a favourable review in Pharmacy News (20 July 2012) as being a viable E-Option for registering a person’s personal and emergency contacts; allergies; current medications; medical notes & unique ID marks e.g blood type; GP details; surgical & implant history and donor wishes.

 “We wanted to take the survival process to the next step by maximising the communication process 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 utilised by hospitals, doctors surgeries, medical assocations, pharmacies and pharmaceutical trials and end user consumers and industry for OH&S requirements.