Zaptag Digital Dog Tag?

This is a concept often discussed here, now commercialized by this company. Thoughts and comments on implementation and value?

www.zaptag.com

Implementation? For the military or other large agencies, easy. For the rest, purely do it yourself I would think.

Value? Great, for those of us who take daily meds to remain somewhat healty. I did the el cheap version, and had my important daily meds, plus bloodtype, imprinted on one of those red dogtags.

If too much info was on the Zaptag I would worry about security, should it be lost. Passworded? If you are "out of it," I have to wonder how the emergency folks would know get into if to retreive the info??? And if anyone can get into it, I would worry about having too much next of kin type info, just in case of capture by the bad guys...

You'd probably rather hear from a professional that would have to deal with these things, but FWIW:

I think the device by itself is fine, the key is standardization. If I was hauled into the ER and the folks there could walk over to a terminal, plug in the device, and have my entire medical history immediately in front of them, that would be great.

Without that sort of organization, I can imagine the scene:

"I wonder if this guy's allergic to this med..."

"Oh, look. He's got one of those medical USB thingies. Maybe there's something on there that will tell us."

"Yeah, let's see. Dang, the admin's got USB ports locked down on this machine"

"I think Lisa in accounting has a machine we can use"

"Ok, let's go down there"

"Alright, we can access it... Woops, it's password protected. See if you can rouse the guy long enough to get the password out of him"

"Yep, that password worked. What the... Window Media Player wants to know what app to use when this device is accessed."

"Let's just close that... Ah, here are some folders. Now where would the useful stuff be...."

etc., etc., etc.

For now I'll stick with my more-or-less traditional dogtag (spiffy engraved one) with my name, address, home and work #'s for next-of-kin, and my doctors name and phone.

I'm a little worried about the security issues invovled when I think about one of these being stolen.

Could someone check into a hospital, essentially steal my identity because they've stolen my tag (assuming they copied the info and returned the unit and the theft went unnoticed), and then I get a bill in the mail?

I get nutty about the information I keep on my home 'puter, and that's got firewalls, several doors and an alarm system between it and the outside world.

I cross shred all of my mail, even if it's only adressed to "Resident". <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Is it a case of paranoia due to the amount of "Identity Theft" commercials, reports and so on that I see? I don't know.

Value wise... Wow, it could be an extremely powerful and helpful tool in emergency situations. I'm torn.

I think something like this has been discussed before on here. I see a few potential problems:
1. Is the data sotred in a propritary format and if so can the app reading it run on anything? I made the mistake of putting a lot of data into a lot of software over the years only to have to retype data over again when a newer version of the software wouldn't import or read the files from the old version (examples are Microsoft Money, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Visio and a bunch of freeware/shareward apps). Does the app to read the data fit on the flash drive, can it run on anything its plugged into so when the Ambulance shows up and one of the EMT's pulls out their old laptop running Windows 98 or Macintoch OS 9 and the app only supports Windows XP. Can you import and export the data to other programs or is the data file readable by other software or do you have to hand key all the data into it.
2. What kind of security is on it to prevent someone from accessing personal information, what kind of personal information does it keep? How do you keep it updated?

Most of your questions are answered on the FAQS page. Basic personal and medical information is (always) unencrypted. Exactly what software is used to store/display this, I do not know. Should I ever get one of these things, I would limit the unencrypted information to basic contact information, blood type, allergies and contact information for my primary care physician. I would give him the password to any detailed medical records stored on the device.

So in other words, you'd limit the accessible information to what could be found on a traditional -style dogtag, only now you need a computer to read it?

USB driver by another name. Good idea. Have they hardened/waterproofed the casing? Next to the skin on humans is not exactly the best enviroment for electronics?

I don't see what's unique about this gadget. It appears to be just an ordinary USB thumbdrive, except (I assume) with some kind of software provided to facilitate entering and encrypting data (for those who need it - personally, I wouldn't).

[edit] I'm not saying I wouldn't encrypt the data, only that I wouldn't need additional software to do this. I'm already set up for encryption. [/edit]

So I would evaluate it as a USB thumbdrive, nothing more. 39.99 British pounds equals about $74 US dollars. For a 256Mb thumbdrive. This size thumbdrive sells for under $10 if you shop around.

The trick is the software. The data entry app wouldn't be hard to write, the fun part is getting the autorun to work. It's most likely just an autoplay exe that resides on the drive, like U3's embedded OS, but that bit of software is worth something. And that is tricky, trust me, I've had to read most of the USB protocals and rules. *shudders* I'm also trying to port some apps to the U3 protocal, it isn't much fun.

I'm not sure if it's worth that much, though I have to disagree with the degree you seem to feel that it is. While you might find flashdrives for less than 10 bucks, I wouldn't trust them with my data, I've personally watched two start to smoke in the past year. SanDisk, on the other hand, I've had several of them for several years (back to when we paid about a buck a meg for these things), and never had a problem with them. The SanDisk Cruizer 256 goes about $15-20 retail and that's not the waterproof version, nor is it preloaded with the U3 EOS. I'd pay about ten bucks a lisence for the software and the medical data service subscription that is implied, and about $15 for a waterproofed 128MB ("small" is a very relative term, that is still the size of a print dictionary) thumbdrive.

I also didn't see them mention that you need to have the security on the viewing computer turned down enough to have a USB autorun work. And USB 2.0 is where autoplay starts to be supported IIRC, assuming that the OS has a clue of what that funny, fuzzy tickle means. Assuming the EMS team has a laptop/tablet available, and that the ED bothers to look at it.

What I would do in SanDisk's shoes is provide a way to put the same data on the CASE, so a human can read it, that you can put on a medicalert tag. The real problem with the Cruizer is that the little, slimline caps slip off too easily- they should have gone with the big, bulky protective cap, which would give you the room you need.

If it were my computer in the hospital, I sure wouldn't allow just anybody to walk in off the street and plug an auto-play device into it. Talk about setting yourself up for a potential security nightmare. Both for the hospital computer freely accepting any old auto-play, and for the patient trusting the hospital computer to be free from spyware/keyloggers. But this Zaptag device only supports Windows so I'm out anyway - I run Linux.

The general utility of this device seems in question too. The non-encrypted stuff - your contact info, etc. - would be better handled with a laminated card in your wallet (I have one of those now). And the encrypted stuff... (1) If you're well enough to walk over and enter your passphrase into the reading computer, you're probably well enough to just tell them the info. (2) If you are too mentally impaired to remember your medical info, you're probably too impaired to figure out how to populate a USB thumbdrive in the first place.

I have a USB thumbdrive, encrypted, with all kinds of stuff on it. Much more than just medical. SSNs, scans of passports, drivers licenses, family photos, auto VINs, insurance policies, credit card info, bank accounts, tax returns, recent water and utility bills, and more ... an identity theft goldmine. I keep this because of the nightmares I read about for Katrina victims trying to reestablish their identities. I sure wouldn't plug this thing into any old computer, even though everything is encrypted. I would always assume keyloggers and spyware were present on the host computer/OS. I'd power down the host computer first, then boot from this thumbdrive. It contains a complete Linux installation that runs from the thumbdrive (and it's "only" a 256Mb thumbdrive!) Since booting from thumbdrives is still black magic, especially on older computers, I have a bootable CD with the same info in my safe deposit box. I really need to send copies of that CD to family members in other states, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Actually, I've plugged a U3 equipped drive into Linux machines and had it come up and autoplay. I've told U3 NOT to autorun though, beucase it has trouble with Suse unmounting it and it is lags in XP it wastes more time than I want if all I need to do is grab a 300k file off it.

As for securing a computer, that's part of my job. And here is what I tell everyone I work with- don't worry, it WILL be compromised. So far I haven't seen an autorun attack that can be put on a CD or a flashdrive, but that doesn't mean that there won't be one- I just have to question how useful it would be in a well configured enviroment. Although I will say, if I'm brought in unconcious, with dual compounded femurs and various other physical insults, I'm not all that concerned that you might find a semi-naughty picture of my GF on there, but I also don't keep that kind of thing on a thumb, much less my back account or credit card numbers.

I do the same thing with a Knoppix CD in my ditch kit, although I'm thinking about switching over to a mini-DVD due the more effective use of space. I figure in 18 months or so I'll make the switch. But that isn't an EDC, while the ZapTag is ment to be. Again, I wouldn't put anything special on there, which is why I have my questions as to making it a 256- 128MB would be fine, and thats only becuase I don't know if anyone is still set up to make a 64MB. (U3 isn't very skinny or I'd say a 32 actually, and I can only assume that is what they are using for thier launcher- SanDisk helped develop it.)

And I would say security should be dynamic. In the case you make, while I'm at a greater danger from ID theft at that point, I'm also not in a position to worry as much about it. I have zero doubt that there weren't people going through houses after Katrina looking for things with ID information on them, along with valubles, and I accept that if I'm ever in such a situation, my personal data is compromised.

I actually made a combo traditional/digital dogtag by sandwiching an SD card between two tags in plastic liner. I chose a micro SD in its adaptor so that it can be read by a card reader.pda or I can just put the micro SD in my phone.
Its not really for first responders, but more a way for me to carry more detailed info such as serial numbers, scans of douments, photos, maps etc.
For fiorst responders, I have my name, National Insurance No. & NHS medical card No.

Yes, I agree that you should plan for it to be compromised. My point was not so much to prevent ID theft at that point (but that is still important). Rather, to help you prove identity to obtain government assistance during a disaster. With all the Katrina fraud we read about, I suspect people's ID might be more strictly verified during the next disaster. Hence all that "proof of identity" stuff I keep on my thumbdrive. Also pictures of family and pets on a thumbdrive might help locate them if you were seperated.

You didn't hear about the Sony music CD rootkit fiasco???!!! Any malware executable can be put on a CD and configured to autorun. I think "can be put on a CD" should be replaced with "HAS been put on a CD". Not too many have been, but they can be.

For quick customization and adding your own data, check out SLAX (www.slax.org) It's a lot easier than remastering Knoppix. Add the readily available TrueCrypt module, and you're set to go for encryption (TrueCrypt works on Windows as well - a big plus).

I guess I should get off of computer security and back to the regularly scheduled program ... back to the original topic. Which wasn't directly about computer and ID security, but about a new thumbdrive thingy! <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

"So far I haven't seen an autorun attack that can be put on a CD or a flashdrive"

The Sony DRM deal was the most recent well known one.

I've studied a lot of computer security myself and sure everything can get compromised but you can take steps to help prevent compromise. Such things as not using MS internet explorer or outlook express to destoying your old cd's and not leaving them around for someoen to find.
Myself I now scan everything and anything super important is kept in a fireproof safe and the rest gets shredded. This was I have less for people to find and if I ever would need to evac the safe is somehting that will go with me.

IMO it's not worth the $$$. The medical data that you really need to be able to convey when you're nonresponsive are:

name
serious allergies
MAJOR medical problems
a contact name/number

This is easily handled by a custom dog tag, engraved bracelet, and/or laminated wallet card. All of which are cheap, waterproof, non-computer dependent and easily accessed by EMS and hospital personnel.

Unless you have some type of extremely rare and dangerous medical condition, I don't see the need to have all your medical records immediately available to God knows who.

IMO this would be a nice item for Alzheimer's victim, with out the password. It has there picture and address and that is all the police and medical personell would need to get them back to there loved ones.

As Glock-a-Roo pointed out earlier, for most people, I think this product is a solution in search of a problem, or at least overkill. It seems to be marketed as an aid in sudden emergencies or injuries, but unless you have a complicated medical history or certain conditions, like allergies, I think even a simple card in your wallet would suffice for EMS/ER purposes and contacting loved ones.

That said, this product did remind me of the thousands of people displaced by Katrina who needed ongoing, long-term care and who were without any medical records. Many doctors' offices and pharmacies were flooded and damaged, medical records destroyed, no staff to contact for help/information, and residents scattered to the four corners of the country, far from home. Thousands and thousands are still displaced.

For these people, a product like this could be useful, since many people don't remember the details of their medical history very well, especially if it's complicated and involves many different kinds of meds. Why waste time, money, and suffer inconvenience and discomfort by starting from square one when your new doctor could simply see your medical history using this product? That said, it would be difficult to get a good, detailed medical history onto this thing. It's not like patients are in the habit of looking over their doctor's shoulder to take notes and later enter the info into their USB thumbdrive. And what's a grandma-friendly method to get a digital copy of an EKG or chest x-ray onto your thumb-drive?

I was thinking of something intentionally created as malware by amatures. But your right, the Sony DRM qualifies.

Maybe we should coin a new term: megloware, from the meglomanic corporations. Although that would include all non-open source OSes, so..... <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

As I said elsewhere, I had forgotten about the Sony DRM mess, as it actually never really effected me or the machines I work with. All of my Sony and BMG CDs are pretty old (I haven't bought major lable music in over five years- it all sounds the same to me), so it slipped my mind.

I have vast quantities of data, and a lousy search algorythem. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> (And worse spelling, but it is late.)

I was thinking more of something that had been set up specifically as a virus that covertly included itself when optical media was burned or when flash memory was mounted, and then would autorun to place itself onto host machines, and ad nausea. (The DRM, while scary, was not self spreading to media.) Sneakernet as a vector hasn't really been a concern for a while, and I'm waiting for someone to dust it off becuase who, honestly, runs an antivirus every time they put in a disk?

Keeping on the topic at hand, I think glockaroo actually hit the nail that as a geek, I really didn't want to- does this thing actually fill a void? Again, it comes down to "does the medical staff know to look for this", just like the ICE in the phone thing and the "life vial" or whatever it is that I saw advertised at my drug store a few days ago. (The later is basically a plastic tube with a big label on it that you put your meds in and put in your fridge, and a sticker you put on your front door. And it is a pretty little sticker.) Will anyone who knows what to do with the data actually see it?

Its actually very easy to make something autorun, I used to burn digital pictures on to a mini CD then make a simple slideshow program autorun when the CD was inserted. Flash drives would be even easier since they can be written to, or you could have a macro virus embedded into your default template in MS Word which attaches to all the word documents you put on the flash drive then when someone else opens one it attaches to the template on their PC (on reason I've switched to open office on my personal system).
Hmm, slax sounds like slackware, wonder if thats what its based on. I'm running slackware and my mp3 computer in the truck runs it from a 128M read only CF card plugged into the primary IDE port.

Here's the interesting thing: all of my machines have autorun disabled, have since that became a "feature". And U3's loader still loads. I don't get it, but I haven't had time to take it apart and see what makes it tick.

It also autoloads, as I said, on my Susi machine. None of the apps work, obviously, but what ever U3 is using, it isn't dependent on the computer's OS so much. And that's kinda scary, actually, becuase it really does act like an embedded OS. Fortunately, U3 has an option where you can disable it's urge to load when slid into a USB port.

And since that was developed with SanDisk (among others), and the zaptag being a SanDisk product, there is some interesting (good and bad way) potentials with it. Assuming that there is ever a need for them.

I work with several hundred folks who came through the Katrina debacle and they are still picking up the various pieces of their lives. The most common stumbling block to re-entering their lives is establishing administratively acceptable evidence for things, like insurance claims, disaster relief and so forth. I do not think there would be a special reason for the medical records portion of this device, but the basic idea, if you captured your important documents, perhaps even notarize copies and then scanned into something common like Adobe and loaded on a thumb-drive...

Of course they are not a solid substitute for the real thing, but when trying to prove to FEMA that you lived at such-and-such address and you actually need temporary housing, it could be useful. Further, since I talking about things like wills, deeds, receipts, I am not wrroying about having to up date often since the records generally wouldn't change.

As far as this specific product, awfully pricey for a $20 USB drive and my medical records just don't have anything so significant in them that this would be of interest to me or any of my immediate family. Have a dogtag stamped or a medic-alert bracelet/necklace if you have something that critical. Just my two cents and probably not even worth that...

I travel constantly. Sometimes with my camper, sometimes just with just a back-pack.

I have had much stuff on a USB drive for a long time. Started with a 256meg and now up to 2 gig. Mostly stuff "of record" that would help prove my history. Yes, there is some risk of it falling into the wrong hands, but it is encrypted so at least there is some barrier to its wrongful use.

I have a heart condition that changes over time. Being able to print or otherwise display old ECG (or EKG's which is it now?) on demand for a cardio doc to examine is worth the effort. Likewise shot records and other such stuff. Helps when encountering a new physician.

So far, no failures (why did I say that... now it will fail)... and I find it very comforting to have the data available. I think it outweighs the risk of identity theft.

I do not intend it as an emergency data source. Dog tags or medical alert tags perform that task better.

nomad

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...

I will stand by my previous position regarding this product as well as ICE and other mechanisms for providing/transferring emergency information, medical or otherwise (i.e. contact information). These products are best viewed as providing such information in the hospital setting. It is rare (by my experiences) to have the time to look for these mechanisms of information transfer and in many cases not even possible or desirable. As I have stated previously, wallets with potentially vital information are generally transferred to or directly obtained by Law Enforcement. Even if I have first shot at a patent’s wallet, my first reaction is to immediately turn it over to LE and in their presence to avoid any accusations of theft.

In our jurisdiction, we do not carry computers in the field and in many ways, I would not want to do so, as it would be one more thing to carry, keep track of and potentially damage.

What every EMS provider is trained to look for: is a MEDICAL ALERT ID necklace, bracelet or other MEDICAL ALERT type of jewelry. It is universal (at least in the US), provides immediate and vital information, cost effective and in my humble opinion, the best mechanism of providing immediate life saving information

Pete

$80 for a small thumb drive is just excessive, I don't care what sw is on it, no matter what it is there's free software that's better. I do see some value in carrying some scanned personal docs etc. on an encrypted thumb drive. I have a really tiny flat one in my wallet (Kingmax Super Stick, google for it, it's great and the 256 meg one was under $10) though mostly for general purpose use. The MicroSD cards are really tiny (like 10mm square and 1.5mm thick) and would use almost no space in a PSK or in a watertight match case, but you need an adapter to plug them into a usb port. The Super Stick is larger than MicroSD but should still fit ok with other stuff in a PSK or spy capsule. Another idea is to upload your encrypted files to a remote web site or just email them to yourself on hotmail or gmail. For emergency medical info I'm sure Paramedicpete is right, the Medic Alert bracelet is the only thing that will do any good.

Your comements make alot of sense, however it is in the hospital that we envisage the product being used; the focus here is on secondary care once the pateint has reached the hospital- not so much at the scene of an emergency. Numerous A&E doctors who have reviewed Zaptag have said that they would find the information contained invaluable when treating patients in ER.

I would be surprised if the hospitals didn't have a rule forbidding plugginy in any USB devices. Most businesseds do because its way to easy for an employee to bring in a virus. Any place that doesn't is just asking for trouble. Thats how most of the virus/worms/etc spread now. Everyone relies on their firewall to protect them from the evil internet but most things come from inside by someone just wanting to edit a document at home. The big news (windows) worms (sql slammer affectinf a bank's atm machines, nimda, code red) all were spread that way.
I know if I were It at a hospital I wouldn't allow anyone to plug in a USB drive from someone unknown.

For what it is worth, if I were in business with this product, my target customer would be nursing and long term care faculties. Not necessary patents themselves, but the company or agency responsible for operations. Obtaining up-to-date health related information on nursing home patients is often a nightmare.

Many nursing homes may have only 1 RN on a particular shift, especially at night and will supplement with Heath Care Aide level staffing. Obtaining pertinent health information from these individuals for immediate treatment can be challenging at times, no less so for providing the hospital with health histories and medication lists that are often extensive and potentially out of date.

Having a uniform and up-to-date mechanism of transferring health related information between the nursing home and hospital would seem to me a potentially huge market.

Pete

Remember though there is no gaurentee that hotmail or gmail will still have your files when you need it. A lot of people assue their stuff is safe there, but when they have a server crash your files are gone.
It happened to me with hotmail a few years ago.

I read an article recently about a computer security company that did a security audit for a customer. One of the things they did was hand out Free! Take One! usb drives loaded with various forms of malware to employees as they walked in the door in the morning. By that afternoon they had passwords, banking info, payroll info, etc.

In my hospital, all usb ports/floppy drives/cd drives are all disabled.

We have to pull teeth, drizzle holy water, and dance 'round three times to get access to our cd-rom based service manuals....

My first thought about the ZapTag was...how in the heck would our ER look at one??

And that is exactly why most places using USB is either forbidden or disabled. With the majority of the machines out there running Windows its just too dangerous to be sticking USB falsh drives in from unknown sources.

Points noted re the functionability of the product in the US, thanks for the feedback.

Would also welcome thoughts on the product in a non emergency situation. In the UK, the present NHS system means that only a patients family GP has access to their records - there is no centralised system. From personal experience it takes around 2 months before a new practice obtains a new patients records. Also, I have expereinced several occasions when the need has arisen to visit a GP other than my own, having details of my past history and medication would no doubt been of use to the practiioner but also put my mind at ease that they were treating me with a more informed outlook on my history etc.

All feedback is much appreciated. In a perfect world the ideal would no doubt be - 100% secure, centralised patient data - accessible to all medical personnel. However, the cost of this for the Greater London area in the UK alone is phenonemal and the likelihood of that happening at any point within the next 10 years (minimum)- highly unlikely. What we are working towards is improving the situaiton from what it is now. When the creases are ironed out I would be surprised if anoyone who deals in emergency situaitons would not be grateful for as much information about their patients as is possible.

As part of your advertising promo over there in London, why don't you BUY each hospital a cheap PC to be used for nothing but reading your devices? They wouldn't hook it up to their network or anything. Use it for no other purpose than your USB device reading. You need very little PC horsepower to do this. A slow processor, minimal memory, no harddrive even. Boot with a Linux LiveCD. You should be able to buy such a minimal PC for only a few hundred dollars ($300) in the US, I don't know what UK prices would be. Even some old anchient used thing would meet your needs processing-wise (you probably would want USB2 ports though).

As you probably guessed, I'm an engineer and suggest "some old anchient used thing" based on a functionality analysis. Such a device may be perfectly workable, but not esthetically compatible with the corporate image you want to present.

I agree... the price seems high, the value dubious for emergency purposes (though perhaps not for LT healthcare), and the security both for the patient and for any facility accepting unknown 3rd party memory sticks seems a large mountain to climb. Is there a market for this?

Anyway, for my own EDC/Emergency carry of data, I use this:
1GB] SD/USB card


It's thin enough to store in a wallet or PSK and has a built in USB connector, so it's useful in PocketPCs, Cameras, and Just about any modern computer. There is no easily lost adapter or cap like a USB Memory Keyfob. About the only downside is that it's not something you can attach to your keychain. It *does* however come with a slick little case that protects it and allows just that, but it increases the bulk quite a bit.

In short +++ungood. Pre-hospital care notifications are best handled by human-readable systems (read: Medic-Alert tags, Tatoos). I have NEVER seen a laptop pulled out by a medic on a call, and to be blunt, when your arms are off, we don't care if you're allergic to peanuts - WE'RE NOT SERVING MEALS OUT THERE!!!!

Now, let's cut on the technology in general:

1.From the site:
"Zaptag is a small rugged and water resistant USB drive powered by Sandisk USA. Zaptag incorporates Windows-compatible software that enables you to create personal records that can be accessed in times of emergency." Wait a minute - this is a Sandisk Cruzer Micro wrapped in plastic. My Cruzer micro has been through the wash as often as my socks. And the cruiser micro is like $10 for a small capacity one.

2. "The drive itself is extremely rugged and can be submerged in water up to 4ft, making it the ultimate travellers companion."
FOUR feet? Umm....no thanks. I want something that will survive at least the freaking water park, not to mention ditching over water!

3. WHAT medical records? Sorry, but I've seen my medical records for the last 10 years - it's a file folder. In a few places I've had medical records created that were electronic -most recently when I broke my wrist the X-Ray was a digital file - BUT when it came time to see the osteopath, they were not able to send him the digial image file - I got a print.

Look, I'm just as geeky as the next person, but the fact is that some things just might be impossible to digitize because of the necessary decades long double work of making human and machine readable records available at the same time.

I know of no hospital environment that allows ANY software to open/run other than the approved set of applications. I think this is one of those "meals in a pill" egghead ideas that pays no mind to the reality of how humans interact (both for good and evil ends) and how large, interoperable data systems need to work.

On the plus side, the Zaptag is a contact read device. That's good and better than any RFID or Bluetooth implementation. But on the minus side, you have a READ/WRITE device that you want IT directors to allow on their networks. Not going to happen with data security fears.

Look I'd love ot have transportable records, however in a heterogeneous IT environment, coupled with sensitivities about privacy and so forth, you're going to have serious challenges that might not be worth fighting.

On the other hand, if you also offered - for Free - Zaptag reader software that you were willing to develop as an open-source product so that IT directors would add Zaptag as a "trusted" application you might be getting somewhere. better still would be a way to work with a hardware vendor to create a zaptag reader that's nothing more than a USB card reader with a serialized rom that will only read zaptag data - and nothing else.

But in the end, I'm not sure how I'd even GET my medical records from the doctor - they are all handwritten notes over the last 10 years at this one practice.

And, to be a bit harsh about it, I know enough about computers and data securty to be sure I never, ever, ever want some parts of my life digitized. Once you digitize, you loose all control of your information.

More interesting points on how Zaptag would function in the US, however a few inaccuracies in this post...

[/I] Wait a minute - this is a Sandisk Cruzer Micro wrapped in plastic'. - It is not a Sandisk Crizer wrapped in plastic. The Sandisk Waterproof was specially developed for the storage of medical records and is currently the USB of choice of the US military. See link...
http://www.sandisk.com/Oem/Default.aspx?CatID=1031

2. "The drive itself is extremely rugged and can be submerged in water up to 4ft, making it the ultimate travellers companion."
FOUR feet? Umm....no thanks. I want something that will survive at least the freaking water park, not to mention ditching over water!
- according to Sandisk it is the most waterproof drive on the market - and they make them! It conforms to IEC 60529 IPX8 (to 4 feet/1.2 meters), which the Cruzer does not, and in reality can no doubt withstand much more.

Point 3 is v intersting to hear re. records in the US. In the UK, within the NHS - all patient records are now electronic.

Having worked within the UK NHS I have no doubt that electronic was the right step forward. We used to recieve PHOTCOPIES of patients referrals and FULL MEDICAL RECORDS via unsecured fax lines, by Royal Mail post and left on the doorstep of our triage centre!

It is therefore not impossible to digitize patient records. I would say the major down side of the system is that it is not centralised and critical information accessible to A&E depts etc for use in an emergency.

This is where we forsee Zaptag coming into play; bridging that gap. There are obviously many differences between the US and Uk systems which are very interesting to hear about; all feedback much appreciated!