Medical ID and Diabetes

When you are living with diabetes, wearing a form of medical ID can provide you with confidence, freedom and peace of mind to live your life to the fullest without worrying about the sharing of critical medical information in a medical emergency.

For paramedics and emergency personnel, the faster they can identify that a patient is undergoing a diabetes emergency, the faster appropriate treatment can commence, the lower of the risk of the hypoglycaemia event becoming severe.

In Australia emergency services are trained to look for medical ID bracelets, necklaces and even tattoos!

They also look on smart phones in the emergency contact feature.

There are many websites showing how to do this – here is one example

Some points to consider when choosing a medical ID:

• Medical ID jewellery is not the same as an ID or ICE (in case of emergency) piece of jewellery, that just lists an emergency contact name and number.  It does not convey a medical condition.
• Emergency personnel are more likely to check your wrist first for medical ID jewellery, rather than a necklace, regardless of the nature of the medical emergency.
• Tattoos can be useful and effective, but again with placement on your wrist and it needs to be plain, simple and easily identifiable – not in fancy scroll fonts and elaborate artwork, which is more likely to be overlooked in emergency situation.
• Jewellery choices are enormous and there are styles, colours and price points to suit all ages, tastes and budgets.  From sports band styles suitable for swimming and workouts to elegant evening style bracelets and chunky designs, the options are endless and you don’t need to stick with just one – having multiple IDs for different situations can ensure you are more likely to stick with wearing the ID.
• Depending on your private health insurance, a portion or all of the cost of your medical ID jewellery and membership may be claimable.

There are many medical ID manufacturers and member organisations in Australia – be sure to check out each one and compare what each offers.

Medic Alert Australia