Medical Alert Systems in the Age of Technology

In our modern age of ever-evolving and improving technology, it is easy to dismiss the ways we once accomplished menial tasks. The health industry is as affected by this no man’s land of technology as much as any other area of daily life.

For several years, health identifiers — or — let medical professionals know of one’s health status in emergency situations when a patient does not have the mental acuity or even consciousness to respond to questions about their health. Such things as reveal information such as allergies, diseases and conditions that may affect, or in turn, be affected by the medical care administered.

These health indicators work to ensure that everyone is safe. The patient receives the best critical care when medical professionals are easily and confidently able to work within the confines of the patient’s general health status, reducing the chance of any additional stress to the patient’s compromised system from a traumatic injury or sudden illness. Medical staff can competently come to the patient’s aid without the fear of some negative physical response to the treatment.

Medical Alert Bracelets

With the variety of medical information bracelets, as well as the proliferation of cell phones and, it may seem easy to dismiss the idea of medical ID bracelets, which may now seem antiquated in the swirling midst of abundant technology. But medical identification bracelets offer information in a way that can be easily detected by medical professionals for patients who can’t inform health care professionals of their health histories.

Smartphones and cell phones can be important for critical situations in terms of contacting medical professionals and ensuring that the patient will be attended to and treated by a medical emergency professional; but these phones can’t give the critical care information that a medical identification bracelet or a fully integrated system provides.

With many of these alert bracelets and tags, particularly medical alert devices designed for the elderly who live on their own, there’s a button on the bracelet that, when pushed, signals to a central base. That dispatch can alert medical emergency professionals that the person needs assistance.

Medical Alert Devices

There are a number of populations who would benefit from wearing some kind of medical alert device, but the elderly and chronically ill are the best candidates. With the desire to live on their own, these devices give senior citizens the opportunity to live on their own with confidence and peace of mind that help is just the push of a button away if they need it. A medical alert protocol also lets families feel some sense of relief that their loved ones will be quickly reached and cared for in an emergency situation such as in the case a fall or some kind of complication from an already present illness.

Another population who may benefit from some type of medical alert identification system is someone with an illness like diabetes that requires medications and may have a variety of complex triggers, complications and risks of not receiving timely and properly delivered treatment. If a diabetic suffers from an episode of and is in danger of losing consciousness, they may use the bracelet to contact medical professionals who will automatically understand the patient’s condition and respond rapidly and appropriately.

Other good candidates for having a medical alert system of some kind are those who suffer from various allergies, epilepsy, heart disease, hemophilia, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Each of these conditions present a variety of possibly troublesome situations for sufferers where they may need medical assistance in an instant, and by having all of their information immediately available to medical emergency personnel upon contact could make all the difference in ensuring the best outcome for the patient.