How To Set Up Medical ID On Your iPhone

What is a medical ID?

A medical ID is jewelry that could save your life. Medical conditions, drug and food allergies, prescribed medicines and emergency contacts can be engraved onto the surface of a medical ID bracelet or necklace.

Who should wear a medical ID?

People with certain medical conditions wear medical IDs to alert emergency medical professionals in an emergency. The following are good reasons to wear a medical ID:

• Food, Drug or Insect allergies

• Cardiac problems (angina,arrhythmias,atrial fibrillation,pacemakers)

• Pulmonary Conditions(Asthma/COPD)

• Kidney Failure

• Diabetes, blood disorders

• Alzheimer's/Memory Impairment

• Blood thinners/ Anticoagulants (Coumadin/Warfarin)

• Emphysema/Breathing disorders

• Rare diseases

• Epilepsy/Seizure disorder

• Hearing, sight or mentally impaired

• Surgery, transplant and cancer patients

• Clinical trial participants

• Special needs children

• Hypertension

• Stroke risk

• Sickle Cell Anemia

• People taking multiple medicines

• Anemia

• Tourette Syndrome

Some order medical IDs engraved with their blood type, online health records and contact information.

Do emergency responders even look for a medical ID?

Australian Medical ID recently surveyed emergency medical professionals ranging from first responders to paramedics. Among the results:

• More than 95 percent of respondents look for a medical ID during emergencies.

• More than 75 percent look for a medical ID immediately upon assessing a patient.

• 95 percent look at the patient's wrist to find a medical ID, and 68 percent look for an ID on the patient's neck.

What are the benefits of wearing a medical ID?

In an emergency, when you might be unable to speak for yourself, a medical ID bracelet or necklace speaks for you.

• Symptoms of common ailments can easily be misdiagnosed.

• Prompt diagnosis is critical to effective treatment.

• A brief description of vital medical facts engraved on your medical ID ensures appropriate and timely medical care.

• According to a published study, half of all medical errors occur because of mistakes made upon admission or discharge from the hospital.

• Wearing a medical ID protects against potentially harmful medical errors.

More than 95 percent of emergency responders look for a medical ID; more than 75 percent check for a medical ID immediately upon assessing the patient. If you're wearing a medical ID, it won't be missed.

Medical IDs are not just for emergencies, they eliminate trips to the hospital, reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and prevent minor emergencies from becoming major ones. Medical IDs save lives!

The imminent iOS 13.5 update includes a new feature that could save your life. Once the update drops, you’ll be able to opt into automatically sharing your medical ID with emergency dispatchers and first responders, which will then provide you with the best care.

To edit your Medical ID information:

1. Open the Health app on your iOS device.

2. Tap your profile picture.in the “Summary” screen

3. Tap “Medical ID” under “Medical Details”

4. Tap “Edit.”

5. Add any relevant medical information you wish to share, such as current medications, allergies, blood type, pre-existing conditions, etc.

6. Enabling “Show When Locked” will add an icon to your lock screen your medical information viewable by tapping an icon in the lower left of your lock screen. This is how first responders will be able to access your Medical ID info without needing to unlock your device.

7. Tap “Done” to save the changes and close the editing window.

Know what MedicAlert ID to look for

MedicAlert IDs all look different – and are updated every year. So it’s a good idea to regularly check our products and get to know the different IDs.