What Do You Engrave On a Medical ID Alert Bracelet?

You need medical identification for any chronic medical condition, allergy and if you are taking certain medications. The most common allergies : Aspirin Nsaids, Advil, Naprosyn, Aleve, Motrin, etc Adhesive Tape Bee Stings Cephalosporin Clindamycin Codeine Contrast Dye Doxycycline Erythromycin Iodine Latex Lidocaine Morphine Novocaine Peanut/Tree Nut Penicillin Phenergan Prinzide Robinul Shellfish Stadol Succinylcholine Sulfur Sulfa Tetracycline Versed Wasp Stings Most common medical conditions: Adrenal Insufficiency Alzheimer's Angina Asthma Atrial Fibrillation Cataracts Congestive Heart Failure COPD Deep Vein Thrombosis Dementia Diabetes Emphysema Epilepsy Fibromyalgia Gastric Bypass Glaucoma Heart Patient Hemophilia Hypoglycemia Hypertension Lupus Lymphedema Mitral Valve Prolapse Multiple Sclerosis Pacemaker Parkinson's Renal Failure Seizure Disorder Stent Implant Vision Impaired von Willebrand's

Medical Abbreviations Below There are a number of standard medical abbreviations that can be used to save room (see below). Most of these are international in scope and acceptance, but not all. Pay close attention to the use of upper and lower case letters in the abbreviation. Extraneous words should be left out if possible. For example, it's not necessary to engrave 'Taking Coumadin'. Just the word 'Coumadin' is sufficient. And, rather than engraving 'Allergic to Penicillin', just say 'No Penicillin'. The same is true for food allergies. If you're allergic to nuts, just say 'No Nuts'. If you want to say that the patient has no allergies whatsoever, that can be abbreviated 'NKA'. 'No procedures in left arm' can be abbreviated as 'No Proc's L Arm'. Some medical bracelets are pre-engraved with the Medical Condition on the front, and custom information is added to the back side as follows. Front side: DIABETES Back side: JAMES SMITH TYPE II SEE WALLET CARD I.C.E. 318.555.2355 Custom personalization medical information is added to both the front and back of the bracelet as follows, depending on your preference and the amount of information you feel is needed. Front side: JAMES SMITH DIABETES TYPE II ORAL MEDICATION - OVER- Back side: HYPERTENSION ALLERGIC TO PCN SEE WALLET CARD I.C.E. 318.555.2355 What to Engrave on a Medical ID Bracelet Courtesy of Sticky Jewelry Purpose of a Medical ID The purpose of a medical id is to alert paramedics and EMT's to a patient's specific medical or allergic condition at the point in time when they're about to administer emergency treatment.  It's certainly critical for persons whose illnesses might render them unable to speak to wear a medical id bracelet or medical alert pendant, but anyone involved in a traumatic incident like a car crash could be in a state of unconsciousness when help arrives.  The goal is for the patient to receive proper treatment without delay, and to help insure that she won't receive a medication that she's allergic to.  It's commonly said that a medical id speaks for you when you're unable to speak. Your Doctor is the Final Authority What follows is a set of guidelines that will help you know what you should engrave on your medical id, but there's no substitute for the advice of a medical professional.  These guidelines will get you started, but your doctor should be the one that makes the final recommendation for the language that will be engraved on your medical id.  Key Components There are four pieces of information that generally need to be engraved on a medical id alert bracelet: diagnosis or condition, allergies (if any), patient's name, and emergency contact.  There are also things that aren't needed, such as the patient's address (unless they have dementia) and social security number.  Personal Information Most people prefer to have personal information out of sight, so it's most common to have the patient's diagnosis and allergies engraved on the front of their ID bracelet, and their name and emergency contact on the back.  (note: although not all medical id providers offer two-sided engraving, most medical id bracelets can be engraved front and back, and that provides more room for engraving).  Common Medical Abbreviations There are a number of standard medical abbreviations that can be used to save room (see below).  Most of these are international in scope and acceptance, but not all.  Pay close attention to the use of upper and lower case letters in the abbreviation.  Extraneous words should be left out if possible.  For example, it's not necessary to engrave 'Taking Coumadin'.  Just the word 'Coumadin' is sufficient.  And, rather than engraving 'Allergic to Penicillin', just say 'No Penicillin'.    The same is true for food allergies.  If you're allergic to nuts, just say 'No Nuts'.  If you want to say that the patient has no allergies whatsoever, that can be abbreviated 'NKA'.  'No procedures in left arm' can be abbreviated as 'No Proc's L Arm'.    See Other Side If any diagnosis or allergy information is being engraved on the back of a medical bracelet and the medical id would have to be removed from the wrist in order to see the back side, it's best to add the words 'See Other Side' on the front.  It may use up a line of engraving, but it helps to insure that the paramedic will know that there's more medical information on the back.  If the reverse side of the bracelet can be viewed easily without having to remove the bracelet from the patient's wrist, then it's probably not necessary to add 'see other side'. Emergency Contact When deciding whose emergency contact phone number to engrave on a medical id, try to select the individual who is most likely to be available to take the call.  It's unwise to use someone who travels frequently, or who frequently has to allow their calls to go to voice mail.  Many people screen their calls and only answer those from numbers they recognize.  The person whose phone number is used on the back of a medical id bracelet will need to be someone that's willing to answer incoming calls even when the caller id is unrecognized.  Note: if there's not enough room for diagnosis, allergies, patient name, and phone number, the patient's name can be eliminated, but it would be better to find a different bracelet that offers more room for engraving.   To the left is a medical bracelet sample showing front placement.  To the right is a sample showing placement of info on the back of a medical bracelet. Medical Abbreviations abdomen/abdominal Abd abdominal aortic aneurysm AAA above knee amputation AKA acquired immunodeficiency syndrome AIDS acute myocardial infarction AMI adult respiratory distress syndrome ARDS Advanced Cardiac Life Support ACLS Advanced Life Support ALS allergic to No ampule amp anterior ant arteriosclerotic heart disease ASHD as soon as possible ASAP aspirin ASA atrial fibrillation A-fib atrioventricular AV automated external defibrillator AED axillary ax basic life support BLS below knee amputation BKA bicarbonate HCO3 bilateral B /bil blood pressure BP both ears AU both eyes OU by mouth p.o. cancer CA carbon dioxide CO2 carbon monoxide CO cardiac catheterization C-cath cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR cardiovascular CV chest x-ray CXR chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD chronic renal failure CRF congestive heart failure CHF coronary artery bypass graft CABG coronary artery disease CAD decubitus ulcer decub deep vein thrombosis DVT defibrillate / defibrillation defib delirium tremens DTs Dextrose 5% in water D5W Dextrose 50% in water D50W dextrose stick d/s or d/stick diabetes mellitus DM diabetic ketoacidosis DKA diagnosis Dx/diag discontinue D/C do not resuscitate DNR electrolytes m - meter lytes endotracheal ET endotracheal tube ETT Epinephrine Epi epinephrine pen EpiPen every q every hour qh flexion flex foot ft forearm FA foreign body FB four times daily qid fracture Fx gastroesophageal GE gastroesophageal reflux disease GERD gastrointestinal GI gastrostomy tube G-tube genitourinary GU gonococcus GC gynecology Gyn hematocrit Hct hemoglobin Hgb Hepatitis B Virus HBV history Hx Human Immunodeficiency Virus HIV hydrogen peroxide H202 hypertension HTN index finger IF inferior inf Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus IDDM intramuscular IM intraosseous IO intravenous IV iron Fe Medical Abbreviations (cont'd) irregular irreg irrigation irrig jejunostomy tube J-tube joint jt jugular vein distension JVD keep vein open KVO large lg lateral lat left L left ear AS left eye OS left lower lobe LLL left lower quadrant LLQ left upper lobe LUL left upper quadrant LUQ left ventricle LV left ventricular hypertrophy LVH lidocaine lido liquid liq lumbosacral LS magnesium Mg Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI maximum Max medications meds methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermis MRSE microgram mcg milligram mg mitral valve prolapsed MVP moderate Mod morphine sulfate MS multiple sclerosis MS myocardial infarction MI nasal cannula NC nasogastric NG nitroglycerin NTG no known allergies NKA no known drug allergies NKDA non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitis NIDDM normal sinus rhythm NSR not applicable NA nothing by mouth npo nursing home NH organic brain syndrome OBS oxygen O2 paroxismal supraventricular tachycardia PSVT paroxysmal atrial tachycardia PAT peptic ulcer disease PUD percent oxygen saturation SpO2 posterior post premature atrial contraction PAC premature ventricular contraction PVC pulmonary edema Pulm Ed regular reg respiration resp right R right ear AD right eye OD right lower lobe RLL right lower quadrant RLQ right middle lobe RML right upper lobe RUL right upper quadrant RUQ small sm sodium Na sodium bicarbonate NAHCO3 sodium bicarbonate NaHCO3 spontaneous spont. supraventricular tachycardia SVT tablet tab teaspoon tsp temporo mandibilar joint TMJ tetracycline TCN three times a day tid to keep open TKO tracheal/tracheostomy trach treatment Tx tuberculosis TB twice daily bid ultra-high frequency UHF upper gastrointestinal UGI upper respiratory infection URI urinary tract infection UTI ventilator vent ventricular fibrillation V-fib ventricular tachycardia VT/V tach very-high frequency VHF water H20 whenever necessary prn Medical Alert Bracelets Medical Alert Necklaces Medical IDs for Kids Allergies & Medical IDs Silicone Medical IDs Sports Band Medical IDs Personalized Jewelry Pharmacy Medical IDs Compartment Medical IDs Pre-Engraved Medical IDs Medication Pill Fobs Contact/FAQ Alzheimer's Alert Jewelry Autism Alert Jewelry Asthma Alert Jewelry Diabetic Medical IDs Epilepsy Awareness IDs What to Engraved on a Medical ID? 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