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Mobile apps may boost emergency medical ID among patients with diabetes
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Smartphone applications could improve the adoption of emergency medical identification by patients with diabetes, particularly among the pediatric population, according to a report published in Clinical Pediatrics.
“Health providers have long recommended that people with chronic medical conditions, particularly those who may experience a medical emergency, obtain a form of emergency medical identification, but many barriers exist,” Kristina M. Derrick, MD, of the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, told Endocrine Today.
Kristina M. Derrick
Technology-based emergency medical identification (EMI) could eliminate the barriers of wallet cards or jewelry, such as bracelets, necklaces and arm bands; membership for emergency medical services personnel data access and physician and family member emergency notification can cost $20 to $50, with the jewelry also carrying a visible stigma.
Derrick and colleagues suggested body art as an emerging method to convey EMI but said this carries its own risks and would be an unlikely choice for children.
“We are hoping to spread the word so more providers talk about the importance of EMI with their patients and discuss the various options available,” Derrick said.
Of the many applications available across cellphone platforms, the researchers highlight the utility of “Health” introduced with the Apple iOS 8, which allows information to be accessed even on protected phones.
“We envision that introducing patients to cellphone-based EMI will improve their likelihood of adopting EMI, and that this could be helpful in an emergency setting,” Derrick said.
Derrick and colleagues are working to educate emergency medical providers on the need to look at cellphones for EMI and inform pediatricians and specialists about the technology to launch dialogue with patients.
“Studies suggest that emergency medical providers check for EMI on nearly all patients, but it is unclear how often the information found is useful to the patient’s care, so this is also an area of future research,” Derrick said. “We are also studying whether providing more focused education about EMI will increase the number of patients who carry some type of EMI.” – by Allegra Tiver
For more information:
Kristina M. Derrick, MD, can be reached at Montefiore Medical Center, 111 E. 210 St., Bronx, NY, 10467; email: kderrick@montefiore.org.
Disclosure: Derrick reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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