Hopefully the following should answer some of the concerns expressed in previous posts...

Security Issues – many people expressed concerns that information would not be secure. We have utilised Blowfish encryption which enables users to, very securely, password protect any sensitive information. Users then choose to leave critical medical information open for use in an emergency such as blood group, drug allergies, next of kin contact info, files with scan/x-ray images of important injuries medical staff should be aware of, to name a few. This information is of no use to anyone other than medical personnel. (There is very little of my medical information I feel is sensitive... and if this info could potentially save my life I would quite happily leave it open).

Functionability – information other than medical information can be stored on the drive; with a 256 or 512 capacity on current products, users can store the additional info mentioned such as scans of travel documents, photos etc. The benefit Zaptag has over a regular USB is the branding. What use is it carrying critical medical information on a regular USB drive if medical personnel do not know it is there? As the brand grows we hope it will become as instantly recognisable as the old SOS braceelets etc. Zaptag users also carry a card which instructs medical staff what info is and how to use it.

Price – the current Zaptag 256 Waterproof Dongle is a Sandisk product that has been especially developed for use as a Portable Medical Record, with the military, emergency services etc in mind. It is probably one of the, if not the most rugged, waterproof USB drive currently on the market. Incidentally, we are soon to introduce several new products to our range which will be around half the price of the current Waterproof version. This will make Zaptag accessible to those on a lesser budget who do not need the ‘all singing, all dancing’ waterproof drive. (wrist band version already available 256 and 512 for £24.95 and 29.95 respecitively)

Software – the software that we have installed on to the drives has been customer developed specifically for its purpose. If the software does not autostart, the directions instruct medical staff to open the software via the my computer function etc.

Welcome your thoughts...