I found a dog tag USB drive that I want to use as a Medic-Alert type device.

What I need from the Medical Professionals and/or First Responders is what information would you include? I plan to have personal information like name, date of birth, address, emergency contact(s) etc. available. I take daily medication, have allergies, a birth defect and have had several surgeries. I would like to list those things along with other information in kind of a priority order. For instance I would list the allergies before the surgery information since it is more likely they’ll need to know that both of my allergies cause an anaphylaxis reaction before knowing I had hernia surgery 5 years ago.

What I need from the IT professionals is what format should I use for this dog tag so that it is easily accessible hopefully in the field as well as in a hospital environment. I thought I would use Microsoft Word since it seems to be pretty common and I think Apple products can access it too. Is this thinking correct? If not would format should I use? Should I have both a PC and an Apple format available or will that distract from getting the information quickly?

What am I not thinking of?

Thanks for your help.

Not a bad idea but how would they know to access it?

And for the greatest compatibility use a .txt format.

This is novel, to me at least.

I would suggest somehow attaching it to a traditional medical alert necklace or bracelet, with the most significant ailment engraved as well as something directing the responder to check the USB for more info.

The paramedics may not look at it, as their diagnosis and treatment will be more acute, with the focus of keeping you alive until they get you to a hospital. But I bet the hospital would, if they didn't already have access to your records.

All responders, however, are taught to look for medical alert jewelry. The medics may find it and check it.

What you have already listed covers most of the bases. Allergies, meds, history, brief bio info. Doctor (s), too. I've uttered quite a bit of profanity trying to determine a person's primary care physician in the field more than once. Family/emergency contacts, both numbers and addresses, including work addresses. Maybe a copy of a recent 12 lead EKG if we're gonna get fancy, and recent lab values, if you have them handy.

as a first responder (but in a rural area fwiw). Not a chance this will be accessible and used. You will be way better off with a laminated papercopy that has the relevant stuff, allergies first (if relevant to field drugs), followed by med's and then history. I'm assuming you have someone else at home to hand it to the paramedic. But if you don't I'd simply make it very visible in color, well labeled and somewhere we will find it.

I'm thinking 'medical alert necklace with a little box, containing a paper copy'.

Both sides of box having a medical symbol and a clear fact that it opens.

It sounds like a good idea, but I have doubts.
HIPAA rules and computer security may make it forbidden for a doctor or paramedic to put any external device into a computer.
I offered a doc at the Navy Hospital a USB drive with my record on it and he told me exactly that.
Non-military places may not have the same level of security awareness, but it's possibly an issue.
Anything that is out of the ordinary is unlikely to be used.
I agree with hrcjon (what, a Clinton supporter??), a laminated wallet card with basic information is better; you can even get a miniaturized image of your EKG if you have any history of heart issues.
Alternatively is to put something on your smart phone, e.g. in an iPhone I would put it in Notes. But then the first responders would need to open your phone.

From an IT standpoint, not happening.

No place I have worked would allow a random drive to be attached to the network.

The old joke about if you want to compromise a network, scatter around thumb drives with a virus and drop them in a parking lot. It works.

Some fool will always stick one in a computer somewhere to see what is on it.


That is why the rule is in place.

If you wanted to do it anyway, us a simple text file.

It cam be read on any system I can thing of.

quote:

Originally posted by sig2392:
From an IT standpoint, not happening.

No place I have worked would allow a random drive to be attached to the network.

The old joke about if you want to compromise a network, scatter around thumb drives with a virus and drop them in a parking lot. It works.

Some fool will always stick one in a computer somewhere to see what is on it.


That is why the rule is in place.

If you wanted to do it anyway, us a simple text file.

It cam be read on any system I can thing of.

Yup, this. When I worked at UnitedHealthcare we had USB drives, but I don't think we could actually use them for read/write without admin access to the laptop.

I wear a standard dog tag with name, driver's license number, blood type, and allergy on it. Then, I went a step further. I created a QR Code with emergency contacts and insurance info that I re-sized and taped to the back of the dog tag. I figured that any EMT, or ER person would look for and find the tag and recognize the QR Code. Then any smart phone with an app could read it. As for the tape, I used clear packing tape and it's still readable after two years of daily wear (but not in the shower). Plus, I can always print a replacement when needed.

From a field standpoint, it likely wouldn't get used, even if the EMS crew knew what it was for. If you're at a point where you're not able to talk to the crew and tell them your history yourself, they're probably not going to waste time fumbling w/ a USB drive.

I'd recommend a typical medical alert bracelet for any of the critical information on your medical history. Then if you're really concerned about the rest, print up a small card the size of a credit card and have it laminated and keep it in your wallet.

quote:

Originally posted by sig2392:
If you wanted to do it anyway, us a simple text file.

It cam be read on any system I can thing of.

Agree with this, as to format. Use a text editor and save as simple ascii text (.txt). As to the format of the stick, FAT32 can be read by Windows, Mac, Unix. But, as sig2392 says, putting an unknown USB stick into your computer is asking for trouble these days, and many institutional networks just won't allow it.
 
Another possibility, if you use an iPhone, the Health app will let you create a Medical ID, which can contain all of that information. You have the option of making it available on the Lock screen too, so first responders (or crooks) can read it without your passcode.
 

Would take a special person to put an unknown USB device into their computer. 'Special' not used here as in 'Special Forces', btw.

Maybe they are out there. Not something I would recommend you depend on for communicating anything critical.

Moving past that, if I had information I wanted everyone to be able to access, I'd have the identical info available in multiple copies in multiple formats, including PDF, ASCII text, HTML, etc. Maybe even a voice recording in an audio file. Also a meta-info file (something like a 'readme.txt' file) describing what the files are and how to access them.

If I was truly paranoid, depending on where I was, I'd have different language versions of the above (including the readme file) in languages popular near me. If I was cost-constrained, the translations might be done via Google Translate.

Storage is cheap, and all these files would be very small. The smallest, cheapest USB device you can buy today would still be 99% empty.

You might consider putting the really critical first-glance info in the NOTES section of an ICE contact in your cell phone. That section could also have referrals to audio files (spoken instructions), S-Memo files, etc. that reside elsewhere on your phone. The first responders can and do safely check your cell phone but I'd bet there'd be some real reluctance to insert a thumb drive into one of their critical computers.

Good luck with your project.

We are expressly forbidden from plugging any outside devices into a work computer, and even if we were to ignore it we get a nastygram from IT and can't read the device.

The USB "Medic Alert" type devices already in use.

Needs to be a simple bracelet and or pendant that has a small LED screen that can show "most important" info, and have "left/right" buttons to scroll back and forth and be limited to enough characters to provide critical information.


Allergies
Medical Conditions
Doctor contact number (no name, only number)
Notify familiy member (no name, only number)

PIN



And if a "call center" could be provide a service, a first responder could provide the PIN and that would allow information that otherwise one would not want listed, but would be useful.

This would put a privacy layer in place, so that a person contacting the "call center" could be vetted (as well as could be expected) before any personal information was given out.

Or an "interrogator" that can "read" such devices and a "standard" for such medical devices and first responders would carry the "interrogator", so that no concerns of data security as the "interrogator" is simply a "reader" or display to show the information contained.

My wife has a 'Road Alert' dog tag similar to what SigMonkey describes. She has a 'page' which she keeps filled out with all her allergies, medical conditions, etc. A first responder only has to use the information on her tag to access the information. I think after the initial setup which included her wearable dog tag, it only cost $10/year.