New Invisible Medical ID Bracelet

The residents of New Britain, Connecticut are trialling a new type of Medical ID Bracelet.

The service is a new take on one that the New Britain EMS have been using for several years. Previously they had been relying upon a system called “File for Life” to provide vital information to emergency services that arrived at the scene.

Unfortunately, the “File for Life” came in the form of a pouch that was meant to be located on the owner’s fridge. As you can imagine this was not the ideal situation.

New Britain EMS has been able to roll out the new venture due to

“developments in information technology that have allowed New Britain EMS to implement electronic clinical documentation recording systems to streamline patient care delivery while ensuring patient privacy”

said Bruce B. Baxter, Chief and Executive Director of New Britain EMS.

The Medical ID Bracelet is in fact not a bracelet at all but is a “virtual bracelet” in the form of the sticker.  This product is called the “Invisible Bracelet” (iB).

The sticker can be placed on Medical Alert Jewellery or anywhere else that first responders are trained to look for information.  The sticker contains a unique identifier for the patient. When the identifier is entered into the iB database the medical conditions are returned to the first responder as are the details for 10 in case of emergency (ICE) numbers for the patient. The identifier can also be used to collect the information via text message on a cell phone, if within cell coverage.

The iB is available as a membership service that has to be renewed with up to date information annually. The cost of the service is currently $5. The bracelets have been trialled in order states with considerable success. Further information about the product can be found at iB

Resources:

New Britain EMS

Invisible Bracelet

Blogs:

Monday Morning Update 6/7/10 | HIStalk