Medical history needs/abbreviations for sports ID wrist strap?

Post date: 2020-08-03 02:29:20

I'm about to get one of those wrist straps with emergency information to wear when I'm running or cycling, so emergency responders can assist me better if I get hit by a car or whatever and I'm unconscious. Should I get my psychiatric and thyroid medical history on there, or do they not need to know that? If they do, how do I abbreviate it?

So yeah, I'm finally getting around to updating my RoadID. Last time I got one, I was able to cheerfully engrave it with "NKDA/NO MED HX," but things are different now. At least I can keep the NKDA.

Now, I have hypothyroidism and a few psychiatric conditions, and I take lots of meds. I would think EMTs don't care about the actual diagnoses, but do they care about the general history and, like, possible interactions with whatever they might be treating me with?

Can/should I abbreviate something like "psychiatric history?" What about the hypothyroidism?

I guess a broader question is, what do emergency responders really need to know about medical histories, and how can they be expressed in as few letters as possible?

I see you can engrave a short URL on the strap so responders can look up more detailed information, but I can't imagine that's useful in an emergency situation — or is it? I'm also concerned about maintaining that information and keepIng it accurate as my medications change.

I'm definitely engraving my full name, city, and spouse's phone number. I don't have a secondary emergency contact because I don't have any other suitable friends or family, so that gives me a little more space for medical information if I need it.

Sorry, I really don't know anything about emergency response to traumatic events like being hit by a car, or passing out on the street from some unforeseen medical thing, or whatever. I'm also pretty sure I'm overthinking this!

Please click Here to read the full story.