More Ready Today!

Most of my blogs provide insights into how you can be better prepared to act in the event of an emergency situation.  This article has a little different spin.  It’s for times when you can’t help yourself and your care is totally in the hands of someone who doesn’t know you.   Let’s say you were incapacitated by an accident or illness while away from home and work.  You were by yourself, no friends, co-workers, or family members with you.  Would the first responders know who you would want them to contact?  Would they know if you had any medical conditions that could affect their decisions about your care?

Think it won’t happen to you?  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in 2006 1,600,000 emergency room patients could not provide contact information because they were incapacitated.

Sure, your address and maybe home phone number should be available to them through the Department of Motor Vehicles with your car registration or your driver’s license.  That might be the best number to reach your loved ones; or it might not.

If you want your emergency care team (such as paramedics, firefighters, police officers, and hospital personnel) to have easy access to important information about you, there are several ways to make it available to them.

Medical alert bracelets and necklaces are key if you have life-threatening issues.

The low-tech, old fashion method of putting critical information in your wallet is a great way to provide whatever information you want first responders to have.

Another concept was developed by a British paramedic in the mid-2000’s – programming one or more ICE contacts in your cell phone.  Then, if your cell phone is with you, unlocked, and working, responders have access to information about who you would like called in case of an emergency.

Here’s how to ICE your cell phone:

1. Choose a responsible person/people to be your emergency contact.  Select this person (or more than one person) wisely.  Select someone who could actually be helpful in an emergency situation.  If you think about it, some of your relatives and friends might not do so well getting a call that you’ve been badly injured.  A hysterical person could be more of a liability.  Others would be able to calmly provide helpful information and appropriately share information about your situation to others.
2. Inform your ICE contact that you have designated them, and provide them with information that could affect your treatment.  This includes information on medicine you’re taking, allergies that you have (specifically to medicine and foods), and contact information for your doctors.  Also provide them with information about anyone else that you would like them to tell about your situation.
3. Add this contact in your mobile phone contacts with the expression ICE before their name.  Such as ICE-Liz.  As they have time and the need for such info, first responders and hospital staff can readily find it.

Of course there’s no guarantee that your phone will be with you, available, found, working, unlocked, or that they’ll have time to use it.  But it’s one more tool to help communicate important information when you can’t do it yourself.  At a minimum, it will increase the chances that your critical medical information will be available to enhance the success of your emergency treatment.

And if you’re heard about scams related to using ICE, it’s a good idea to check out what Snopes says about the concept:  http://www.snopes.com/crime/prevent/icephone.asp

Programming an ICE contact in your phone only takes minutes, and it may save you or your loved ones hours of anguish in the event of an emergency.