+1 roadid. I own two of them for my ankle, one black, one red form when I am training outdoors. i am buying the wrist one next for backcountry as I wear long pants for that.

Jeff hit it on the head. I would never stick a USB into the computer on my ambulance (back when I was in the field), even if the computer DID have a USB. Which I don't think it did.

And nowadays, I sure wouldn't stick it onto my hospital computer! No way. I don't care what fancy packaging it came in.

Dog tag, ID bracelet, or wallet card. That's it. If I can't Xerox it and throw it onto your chart, it's no good.

For all the gee-whiz crowd out there, if you want something electronic, there are some things that you can keep your info online, and the bracelet directs the provider to either a website or phone number. That might be a better option, though it still depends on someone sitting down and killing time waiting for the info.

Jeff/MDinana, How about using a POCKETMOD? Appropriately labeled it may be useful.

I have a template I used for my master tool bucket list. I'll try to use it to put one together over the next day or two.

Purpose-designed USBs have a place, but not for conveying emergency medical information to EMS and ER personnel. Few of these devices convey any info at all without plugging them in first.

The problem is that both security protocols and practical considerations usually prevent the installation of unknown USB devices into our computers during the course of rendering emergency care. However, they are a great way to keep your medical records together, portable and with you.

Cool idea, but not something that's particularly easy to photocopy and insert into your chart. Still, I like it!

I did some dinking around with Word. In Word you can make a 2x4 table. Set your margins for whatever your printer allows for minimum. Align the text in the boxes so it is left-justified and "headed" at the center line. It will be sideways. Depending on how you fold your PM will determine how you set-up your page sequencing. When you print it out, cut off the excess margin and fold as normal. It will be a touch smaller, more wallet friendly, than normal. It can be unfolded to copy. Not easy to read, but it is there. Good luck.

Ditto. With the added info that in the field, someone with bloody gloves probably doesn't want to be fiddling with a keyboard. And in the hospital, there's never a free computer when you need it (docs, rn's, and the clerks all need one. Usually there's 2 or some ungodly small number free to work with).

My faves? Medicalert bracelet that directs you to a phone number (and usually has the important stuff, like med allergies and life-threatening medical conditions), a folded up paper or purpose-built card in a wallet, or worst case, a tattoo

When I get old, DNR in big bold font is going on my sternum.

No ER is going to load your USB drive into their computer system.

Not. Gonna. Happen.


If you really want to convey emergency info to any ER, try this, but no guarantees


Set up website
Put info you want to share with docs, etc etc
Password protect it
Put web address, password and instructions on medic alert bracelet or dog tag.
Hope for the best.

Ahh, the tattoo.

Just before deploying for Desert Storm, several of my soldiers went to the tattoo shop and had their dog tag info put on their chests. When I asked why, their reasoning was that if they were blown apart the dog tags might get lost making them difficult to ID.

My only response was, "You guys have obviously never viewed a charred corpse or a body that has been dead and exposed to the environment for a while, right?"

They later understood what I was talking about after seeing the "Highway of Death".

As others have said, it's not likely to be useful to medics when you are unconscious. However, it might be useful to you if you are conscious, and it has stuff you can't remember. If some kind of disaster strikes while you happen to be on the road, and you become a de-facto refugee, then there's a lot of information relating to who you are, what you can do, and what assets you own, that can be valuable. The sort of stuff you would want to have on you if you were bugging out.