Did you know there’s an iPhone feature that could save your life or the life of a loved one during an emergency? Julia Thompson, a hospital employee, has made a post about a feature many are unaware of. She states:
“Many patients come in and we have had no way of knowing who they are or how to contact their next of kin. And their phones are locked!”
It turns out you can set up accessible medical info on your phone and have it be available even when it is locked. Obviously this would help out emergency responders big time.
It’s actually an app, which comes with the iPhone and is free to use. It’s called Health and the icon looks like this:
So once you open up the app, there will be a menu bar at the bottom. Then on the right is a Medical ID icon. Tap on that and enter the necessary emergency info. Here’s what it will look like:
On the Medical ID screen you can type in blood type, allergies and reactions, medications you are taking and any medical conditions you may have.
As you see below, access to this information can be had even when the phone is locked.
Here’s the post which Julia writes about this very important feature and how it can be so hopeful to emergency medical staff, and how it can literally save your life:
“Working in a public hospital and seeing patients in ED I appreciate many patients come in and we have had no way of knowing who they are or how to contact their next of kin. And their phones are locked!
“But many people don’t realise that you and patients can set up something called a ‘Medical ID’ on your iPhone if you have the health app (free with phone). This information can be accessed even while the phone is locked by clicking on the emergency options and can display things like name, DOB, emergency contacts, medical conditions and even blood type and donor status. You can even add notes.
“It can be managed by clicking on the little ‘Health’ app that comes default on the phone (heart icon and then in the app go to the little star shape with medical ID) and given everyone I have spoken to today has never heard of it it seemed like a social media share kind of moment!
“But don’t simply share it-update yours also!!
“(I believe android have an app called ICE/in case of emergency that works similarly and if you don’t like apps don’t forget the going to the good old fashioned owner information, enter your emergency contact and ‘I.c.e’ as the owner and tick the ‘show owner information on lock screen’).”
