me wrong; I know it is also possible that there are medics working today who have never seen a rotary dial phone. But now that we have cell phones and other radio technolo- gies, we are on the brink of having instant electronic data access to pertinent medical information at the point of care.
Will this bring us another tool to be tested at the beginning of each shift? Perhaps, but for now we still have the trusted telephone service and MedicAlert IDs that provide im- mediate access to vital medical information on millions of members around the world. While the batteries may not be included on the MedicAlert ID, your cell phone can still provide access to the very information you seek while collecting your SAMPLE data dur- ing a patient contact. In the time it takes to send a crew member searching through the house to gather medications, that same crew member, within seconds, can access the pa- tient’s pertinent medical history to include: medications, allergies, use and type of med- ical devices, emergency contact information, personal identification information, and health
insurance informa- tion to assist you in patient safety and completing paper- work.
Some
tools con- tinue to work because they are simple and don’t require much improvement. Remem- ber that when someone is wearing a MedicAlert ID, they are alerting care providers to vital information that may influ- ence a treatment protocol. Be aware of medical identification and how the easily ac- cessible information provided may help you protect your patient. It only takes sixty sec- onds or less to access the information, so use your observation skills because technology cannot replace the intelligence you have
when providing
patient care. While the batter- ies may not be included in the medical ID, your keen
eye and 60 seconds of information gathering may help you save a life!
For more information, visit:
www.medicalert.org or call:
1.800.ID.ALERT
My name is Heidi Klum
and I’m an American Red Cross volunteer. Will you join me?
Through her involvement with the American Red Cross, Heidi Klum changes lives every day.
To learn how she is helping, or to find out what you can do to change a life, starting with your own, visit
RedCross.org.
EMSPROMAG.com 41
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