Is it harder for paramedics to do their job if a person wears medical I.D. jewelry that is not the standard?

Question

I would like to know if paramedics/firefighters know that many people nowadays wear medical I.D. jewelry that does not have the standard chain and plate. If a person had what looks like regular jewelry on do paramedics/firefighters look closer at it to see if it has the medical alert symbol and is a medical alert I.D.? Like if a person had a medical I.D. bracelet only the bracelet had beads on it instead of a chain, would paramedics notice that this person has a medical I.D. bracelet on?

Answer 1

Let's temporarily ignore whatever the local protocols are- whether they are supposed to check or not, and look at the human element.

Medical alert bracelets are only effective if they alert the medics.

The more atypical it is, the less effective it is. Sheer human nature- if the jewelery does not signal to the rescuer or medical staff that it is an alert of some sort, it fails its job.

The rescuers are busy- and the busier they are, the less time they give to peripheral issues like jewelery.

Sure, maybe someone at some point is SUPPOSED to check... but people are SUPPOSED to do a lot of things.

If *I* needed a medical alert for a life-threatening condition, I'd make sure that any would instantly see it. I've seen plenty that were attractive and still effective.

Answer 2

If the person is unconscious and unable to provide any information, I look for a medic alert tag, but I look for the traditional medic alert tag (silver or gold with a medical symbol on it). If the patient is unconscious, I'm so busy trying to stabilize the patient, that I don't have time to check every single piece of jewlery to see if it is a medic alert tag. The whole point of the medic alert tag is to alert the medics! If it's not a standard universally recognized tag, then it's pretty useless. However, if it has a medical symbol on it with the standard silver or gold plate, then I would recognize it even if the chain has beads on it. Another medic might not. If you deviate from the standard, then you run the chance of the medic not noticing it.
And (in reference to the above answerer) in the United States, often medics will be allowed to give drugs in the field without checking with the doctor first. It's called standing orders, and almost every state allows it. Unless trauma is suspected, not every patient is stripped, either.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

I am aware of this jewelry and it is a dumb idea. When I am checking an unresponsive patient I check on the wrists and around the neck for a standard Medic-Alert ID. If they have regular looking jewelry I ignore it. It does in a sense make our job harder because a valuable clue is not given, and we are not going to waste our time looking at seemingly ordinary jewelry on the off chance it will provide valuable information. I know that most people find Medic-Alert tags to be ugly and unattractive, but they are that way for a reason, so we can easily identify it.

Also people should not wear it around their ankles because most people don't look there. The neck or wrists are the appropriate places to wear a Medic-Alert tag.

Answer 4

Yes. Wearing fashionable items instead of easily recognizable bracelets and necklaces makes the job of emergency responders very difficult. However medical responders have become good detectives and guessers, since most people do not even wear such identification in any form...and even if they can talk many cannot give an accurate history regarding what they have been diagnosed with and what medications they take every day.

As a paramedic and an emergency nurse, on more than a few occassions I have encountered many patients who were unresponsive but wore medical identification bracelets. For many, the information on these bracelets guided their immediate care and has saved more than a few lives.

Fortunately, there has been a push in the past few years for more people to be informed about their health, and for those with chronic conditions to carry lists of these conditions and their medications. Unfortunately, for those who do carry such documentation, they often hide it somewhere on their bodies. If we have to search through someone's wallet...or even through their shoes...for information about their health we may not find out what we need to know until it is too late.

Answer 5

I would think that if they seen the id bracelet they would cheek it to be sure of what it say. I would not think it would have to be a proper medic alert bracelet. they are looking for some type of ID just the same.

Answer 6

I know going through class when we were doing patient assessement we were told to look around the neck, wrist and ankle that that is where it would be. We were also told that a patient had his info on his tooth, but to answer your question, it would be most likely overlooked since in an emergency you are trying to beat the clock and save this person.

Answer 7

actually it all depends, as a paramedic or firefighter or whoever that deals in casualty case, they are trained to look for specific items that might indicate a persons conditions. so it all depends on the paramedics themselves. their job actually depicts them to check from the head to the toes of the casualty.. so they would do a whole body survey on the casualty to search for signs of trauma and they are suppose to take of all accessories for they casualty. so it all depends on the situation, besides, paramedics aren't even suppose to give any form of medication to the casualty unless instructed to do so as it would complicate the situation even more.

Answer 8

No. If it isn't a standard bracelet or necklace, or it isn't on the patient, then it doesn't exist.

Answer 9

we check all jewlwery just for that purpose,because styles have changed,but it is safer to get the old style,because some do not do this like they should