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Medical ID Information: what belongs?

What information belongs on medical alert jewelry?  Well, that somewhat depends upon the jewelry.

Traditional medical ID jewelry

With traditional medical alert pendants and bracelets, space is quite limited.  As is the ability to change any information recorded.  Therefore you should not:

Don't waste words

Since traditional medical ID jewelry is short on space, you want to omit any unnecessary words in giving medical information.  For instance, shorten:

Be careful not to sacrifice clarity to brevity, however.  For instance, medications need to be clearly distinguished from allergies.  If you just put ASPIRIN, this could be interpreted as either ALLERGIC (to) ASPIRIN or ON ASPIRIN.  Medical conditions also need to be described adequately.  Type 1 DIABETES or DIAB-INSULIN communicates more than just DIABETES. Never shorten to the point of uncertainty or confusion.

Abbreviations are another way of saving space.  These are generally recognized:

Less common abbreviations should be avoided, because clarity is critical.  In an emergency, the last thing you need is for your vital medical information to be vague or confusing.  

Avoid information that is "in flux"

You may have a lot of information you wish communicated in an emergency...your condition, medications, allergies, emergency contacts, whether you have a living will and how to locate it, etc.  

There's no way all this information will fit on traditional engraved medical ID jewelry.  Besides, such information is highly changeable - you move, change meds, get a new diagnosis, etc.  Now you are stuck with buying new medical alert jewelry or wearing outdated ID whose information is unreliable.

To get around the space and updating limitations of traditional medical jewelry, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) often recommend engraving SEE WALLET CARD on a medical alert bracelet or pendant.  Most or all of the actual medical information is then stored on the wallet card, which provides more space and can be easily updated.

NOTE: One problem with this approach is that wallet information has to be fished out...it is not instantly available in an emergency (also if the wallet is missing, so is the info).

You can also employ various shortcuts, such as putting just your home phone number on your medical ID, then leaving additional contact information on your home voice mail, explaining "In an emergency, please call...."  Be careful about relying on such breadcrumb trails for really vital information, though.

Consult your physician

Deciding what belongs on a traditional medical ID is tricky, and mistakes are costly, if not dangerous.  So it's a good idea to consult your physician before deciding what to engrave on your medical jewelry.

KeepSafeJewelry - a better way

Traditional medical alert jewelry provides little space and expensive updating (also, a lack of privacy for your sensitive medical data).  You can seek workarounds for these limitations.  Or, you can choose a different type of medical jewelry.

KeepSafeJewelry specializes in  medical alert jewelry that offers:

SOS ID jewelry is a good example. With this jewelry you record your own medical information on a special foot-long waterproof strip of paper.  This strip is then folded and stored discretely inside a nickel-sized waterproof locket.  If your information changes, simply write in the new information - no waiting, no new engraving fees.

Medical information to include

Our emergency ID jewelry tends to be generous with space and forgiving of changes.  This means you can include more helpful medical information. 

Consider providing your:

Since the information would not be on public display, you could even opt to include your doctor's phone number, your home phone number, address, etc.