MedicAlert: What's beyond the bracelet
Medics have been trained to look for medical ID bracelets, but many may not know that calling the number on the back of the bracelet provides access to an on-call medical expert
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By EMS1 Staff
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EMS practitioners know all about medical ID bracelets.
It's a part of basic EMT training: look for any medical ID jewelry that may alert you to a patient's underlying condition. Doing so could help you save a life.
What many responders may not know is that, with MedicAlert bracelets, there's a medical expert connected to the jewelry.
Not literally, of course, but on the back of every MedicAlert bracelet is a phone number that, when called, connects responders to medical personnel – many of whom are EMTs — who are trained in medical information and can provide more a detailed background of the patient's condition than will fit on the tiny bracelet.
"We want responders to know that, by calling this number, they can access information that can potentially help them save a life," Greg Adams, Director of Educational Services at MedicAlert Foundation said.
By calling this number and getting detailed information about specific conditions, medics will gain an edge in unusual cases.
"Without MedicAlert, medics are missing the information that will help them save a life," Adams said. "Those patients with more severe injuries or conditions; with malignant hyperthermia, for instance, some medications can be deadly."
What differentiates MedicAlert from some medical ID systems is that, when a medic calls the number on the back of the bracelet they talk with a live person who will walk them through the patient's case specifics.
This is important because, as many in EMS know, some conditions are so complex that there's no way all the relevant information will fit on the back of a bracelet.
Patients with chronic diseases usually have more than one co-morbidity, Adams said. When a patient enrolls in the system, MedicAlert uses as much engraving space as they can to get the most critical information on the bracelet.
"However there are thousands of patients that have so much stuff that it can't all get on bracelet — think of kids with food allergies," Adams said.
"Our primary motivation is to get medics to look at the bracelet, and if there's something unusual that jumps out, we want them to make that call."
Luis Fernando Sanchez Mondragon Tuesday, December 13, 2011 4:02:56 PM iMPORTANTE EDUCAR A NUESTRA POBLACION A UTILIZAR ESTAS ALERTAS MEDICAS CUANDO TENGAN PADECIMIENTOS DE RIESGO E IMPORTANTES DE CONOCER AL ATENDERLOS....????? 
Ann Lukens Tuesday, December 13, 2011 5:31:22 PM I cannot stress enough the importance of actually calling the phone registry and obtaining the information from supported medical alert data banks. As a Medic Alert member since 1983, I bring a in depth understanding of this vital tool to my practice as an EMT-I or Paramedic for over 10 years. My condition, an impaired blood clotting and prolonged bleeding situation, is completely undetectable without very specific lab testing and is completely unexpected in women. Two years ago I suffered extensive facial injuries in an accident. After being flown to a trauma center, I showed my Medic Alert bracelet to nurses several times. They did not ever call for the information and as a result, came in to heparinize me prior to going to the OR. I somehow was able to communicate to them that I refused the injection, but the staff and head nurse pushed the issue extensively without ever reacting to the bracelet. My husband finally arrived and we had to literally battle the nursing staff to call the doctor back about the Heparin. As a provider and patient, I was shocked and frightened that this vital item, my Medic Alert bracelet, meant nothing to the nursing staff at this Level I Trauma Center. If pre-hospital providers have time, make the call. It may make a difference you cannot imagine. Ann K. Lukens, EMT-P, Murphy, NC. 
Gregory Lee Adams Wed Dec 14 09:54:37 PST 2011 Ann. Thank you for the support of and membership in MedicAlert Foundation services. I am the Director of Educational Services at MedicAlert Foundation and would like you to know that in October 2010 we published an EMS continuing education training program that is endorsed by NAEMSE and accredited for one hour of CE through CECBEMS. Instructors can get a free kit by contacting Education@medicalert.org. Individuals can take the course free online at https://medicalert.medic-ce.com/signup. This will help avoid events like you experienced. On January 17, 2012 a CE program for nurses will be published by PESI HealthCare so we can continue our awareness efforts to help protect you.
