Dog Tags

A trail running magazine I get always has ads for bracelets with similar info

Lots of my new balance clothing have ICE (in case of emergency) tags sewn into the pockets for ID and emergency info

All good ideas.

My ideal, which I couldn't find, would be that the band of my watch had the ICE info. I wear my watch 24/7. Others may not.

Would the id from the Elite fit your watchband?

http://www.roadid.com/Catalog.aspx?C=RoadID

Not to be a killjoy or anything, but if you're looking to save weight and $$:

Get some Tyvek. Housewrap. Fedex mailing envelopes. Disk sleeves.

Get a fine-point sharpie.

Write your contact info, drugs, allergies, health plan, and next-of-kin on 4 little business-card pieces.

If you want to get fancy, write "In Case of Emergency" across the top in red Sharpie.

Put one in your shoe, one in your wallet, pin one on your pack and stick another one in your hat.

Waterproof, tearproof, cheap, redundant.

My perspective as an emergency physician in a trauma center:

Redundancy is good as David points out, but if you are ever in a major trauma where you are unable to speak, the most likely place your medical information will be immediately seen are as dog tags or wrist bracelet such as MedicAlert, RoadID or the like. Probably not the thing to skimp on to save a few $ (or grams).

Your clothes will be cut off (if not already done by the paramedics) almost immediately upon arrival to a trauma center. Tags on shoes, in clothing or gear (assuming they make it to the ED), or wallet may be seen later once immediate stabilization issues are dealt with.

The most helpful information from a provider standpoint (given the limited space on tags) would be:

Name

Birthdate (very important when trying to obtain medical records from other facilities)

Emergency contact phone number

MAJOR medical issues (the most important early on are major cardiac issues, renal failure/dialysis, diabetes and use of anticoagulants (primarily Coumadin/warfarin).

MAJOR (anaphylactic) medication allergies

Another piece of information usually not touted by ID companies is the name and city of the medical center where you have received your major medical care from. (Google, telephone and fax can get us a lot of information fairly quickly).

If you have multiple medical issues and medications, having a simple UP TO DATE list with your photo ID (kept somewhere on your body) is supremely useful once initial stabilization is completed.

Listing your blood type is not very useful these days. If one needs blood immediately, everyone gets O-. All hospitals require a type and crossmatch to be completed for blood products outside of immediate resuscitation. Health insurance information, while useful later on, is not an immediate concern and could be listed in your wallet with your other medical problems/medications and such. Same for your address.

killjoy :)

I just got a road id, the thin one- nice and light and has all the pertinent info- name, addy, emergency contact, allergies, blood type- you get to choose what info you want on there

Brian,

Thanks for the info. Very helpful.

I asked an emergency room physician friend of mine for his ideas before I got the tags. He didn't mention the birthdate and I didn't think of it. I'll see if I can add it to the tag's back with tape and some sort of permanent marker. I may order new ones based upon your good advice.

Group Health Seattle is where I receive my major medical care so I think including my Group Health # allows the ER people to get that info, additional medical info, follow-up care info, etc.

I wear the tags all the time. My id is typically in the locker when I am at the gym, for example. If I passed out at the gym it is unlikely that anyone would know who I was if I couldn't tell them.

Daryl

No problem Daryl. Happy to be of service.

Having your Group Health # may be beneficial locally. If you were here in Wisconsin, I would have assumed that was your insurance number. Perhaps "Group Health Seattle" would be the tip to know it was your medical center if you were traveling. Your name and birth date would then be used to obtain your records.

One last piece of advice: If you have a list of medical problems and medications kept on you, please keep it up to date and put a date on it so we know how recent it is. Cripes we get folks with lists (great!) where 4 things have been crossed off, another four hand written in margins and semi-legible, and it still turns out to be a few years out of date (not great!)…

Road ID wristband for me. Began wearing it just for runs and the like, but in my sixties I now wear it all the time. Glad to see I have all Brian's bases covered.

If you live near a military base like I do some of the clothing shops that sew patches on uniforms also make dog tags. Personally after wearing dog tags in basic training and tech school and only the once a year operation readiness inspections in the Air Force .
I personally hated my dog tags did not wear when I did not have to because they chaff your skin. I would think the small round medallion type like they make for Dogs and Cats would be better than the military type dog tags.
Terry

Brian,

Thanks for the additional info. I should have posted before buying the ones that I did.

I'm going to have a tough time selling the ones I have on Gear Swap. I'll need to discount them greatly.

Daryl

"I'm going to have a tough time selling the ones I have on Gear Swap. I'll need to discount them greatly."

Aw, c'mon, be creative! After you wash all that sweat of yours off them, just tell people that they once belonged to Daryl!

.

Douglas,

Thanks for delivering the punch line. I love it when my straight lines can be used by those more clever than myself.

Moderator,

Please move this to Chaff. It is no longer of value to the general public.

Daryl,

I'm not selling your dog tag….only your brother's.

Daryl

With the vast majority of my outings(running, hiking, or otherwise) I am going solo and usually to places off the beaten path. Because of this, my fiancee always worries when I go out. (Note to self, never tell loved ones stories of the close calls you have had on the trail while solo…lol) So I purchased a Road Id Elite so that should anything happen, any responders will have all of my info. In this, the Road Id is awesome. That said, I almost never wear mine. I have pretty scrawny arms. I cut down the band as much as I could so that it just barely slips over my hand. The Elite has a surprising amount of heft when worn and due to how loose it is on my wrist, it flops around a lot and drives me nuts. I usually just put it on to appease her and once I'm out the door it's stuffed into my pack. Again, a great product, but just something to keep in mind.