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No, I meant how often does anyone wear one. The search only succeeds if there is one to be found.

It is hard to calculate, if the patient is conscious and alert enough to answer questions, it is not generally necessary to look for a Medical Alert device, so whether they have one or not is hard to determine. If they are unconscious, the only way to know they don’t have one, is if a family member tells you that have XYor Z condition and you fail to find a Medical Alert device. It is hard to come up with a validated number, but I have encountered many diabetic, cardiac and patients with an allergy with a Medical Alert device.

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Is this an HHS standard?


The Medical Alert devices I have observed generally have a red Start of Life, medical caduceus or the staff of Asclepius, along with the medical condition(s) i.e. diabetic, cardiac, allergy.


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Breakaway chains are overrated and don't prevent incidents (useful but insufficient). ADA only requires reasonable accommodations: you don't have to create a safety hazard for it.I retired from the relevant job at ten years ago and medical necklaces never came up. It's hard to say now but had it come up I likely would have required that the card be strapped around the ankle or such, with the necklace removed while in the lab. It's the necklace that's the problem, not the card.

I work in a bacteriology lab and encounter Facility - Maintenance - Engineering staff routinely; we are all required to wear our ID badge around our necks. Some use a breakaway chain; others (myself included) use a soft-corded breakaway lanyard to address entanglement issues.

If the safety issue is from heat, using a Nomex shoelace Nomex Shoelace and a piece of shrink tubing, one could fashion a heat resistant breakaway lanyard, the dog tag could be suspended from the lanyard and worn atop a fire resistant t-shirt. If the concern is a magnetic signature, I belive Medical Alert devices are available in silver, gold, titanium and plastic.


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I may be misunderstanding what we're talking about here since the word "device" is being used: I have visions of a necklace with what amounts to a large dogtag with more text. If this is an actual _device_ of some sort that's different (and even worse given the lab EMI setting), but a necklace itself still wouldn't fly in the lab.

I may have been somewhat misleading I my use of the word device. My intention was to use the word device, simply to cover dog tag; bracelet and charm style Medical Alert items.


Pete