I wonder (after yet another cleaning of my iPhone contacts) how many of us ( us meaning you ) still have ” ICE ” in your cell phones?
You remember, the In Case if Emergency number so rescuers ( and ED’s ) know who to call if you can’t tell us?
I have mine, how’s about you? (sorry about all the parentheticals, but that’s how I’m thinking right now).
My cell phone is password protected, so I don’t have my ICE there. I do carry a contact info card in my wallet.
ICE, plus my meds list. Don’t know if anyone would think to look at my cell phone notes, but the info is there.
I have 3 in my cell phone, but I’m not convinced that over here anyone would think to look for them. When it first came out, none of my friends knew what I was talking about when I mentioned it to them. They have less of a clue now. Shame really, it might just make a monumental difference one day!!
Good question, doc. I do, because my wife makes me. I always figured you folks would never look there. You do? Cool! How else can we help you guys if it comes down to it? WarmSocks mentions a med list in the notes — would that help? How ’bout a general primer on how to be the perfect patient information provider?
There’s an iPhone app called iEmergency… stores all that info for you, and the icon is a red box with a white cross in it, so it stands out. I keep it right next to the Contacts icon.
I have a question for the E.D. staffers: Do you use patients’ cell phones for contact information for next of kin, if they are unable to provide it? I only ask because as a medic I have no use for ICE unless it’s a minor’s cell phone (a minor with a minor injury at that, as we would transport any severely injured minor under implied consent).
Rlbates brings up a good point. My BlackBerry (as well as those belonging to most people I know) are password-protected.
Rlbates brings up a good point. My BlackBerry (as well as those belonging to most people I know) is password-protected.
I got a new phone 3 weeks ago & my ICE was the first thing I put in. (Still haven’t added the rest of my contacts, though.) I also have the info engraved on a pair of metal Road IDs, one on my keychain and one on the laces of my running shoes. I keep a miniature med list, with ICE contacts on the bottom, in my wallet, too.
I also use iEmergency (actually i use the family version called iEmergency Pro) but they both store my medical conditions and my ICE contacts. Dunno about other hospitals, but our county hospital does check for ICE (we have friends who are doctors and nurses there).
I guess in the end, my view is that it doesn’t hurt to have it. It’s like insurance, you may never need it but it pays off if you ever do!
I also use iEmergency (actually i use the family version called iEmergency Pro) but they both store my medical conditions and my ICE contacts. (It also has a wallpaper feature for locked iphones)
Dunno about other hospitals, but our county hospital does check for ICE (we have friends who are doctors and nurses there).
I guess in the end, my view is that it doesn’t hurt to have it. It’s like insurance, you may never need it but it pays off if you ever do!
Finn, the tags on your running shoes idea is just brilliant. A girlfriend and I were chatting with someone last week and neither of us takes any ID with us when we run. Tags on laces is totally inspired. Thanks. I’m going to look into how we can sort that out over here in Blighty. Course, doesn’t help any if we need a phone and don’t have one with us…personally I think we need to work on that one first, but sweat and phones are not the greatest of buddies!! Think I need to make a neoprene armband like an iPod holder!!
As far as shoe tage, here in the US we have machines that make tags for pets. They’re small, come in a zllion colors, and you can get a lot of info on that little piece of aluminum.
Seems like it’d be trivial to lace into a shoe. We did this with our dog tags in the service in our boots.
GruntDoc, the dog tag machines are, of course, the best idea. We certainly have them here since I’ve used them on half a dozen occasions making tags for the wretched cats who insist upon losing the darn things up some friggin’ tree in the woods round us!!
We dont’ quite have them in a zillion colours – 7 I think is our count, but cutesy shapes. And as far as I recall, there aren’t any service-dog-tag size, but certainly big enough for 3 or 4 lines of limited text. Thank you for the suggestion. I’ll go with that idea; at least it makes me a little safer; well, identifiable at least!
I’ve seen these shoe/wrist id’s before… a little more complex than the dog tags, but it looks like you could include medical info if you wanted too…
http://www.roadid.com/common/id.aspx?hash=shoe
The ironies of being a trauma patient taken to one of the hospitals you work at. They never opened my Camelbak pocket with the ICE information — they registered me under a different name.
Do you use patients’ cell phones for contact information for next of kin, if they are unable to provide it?
Oh yeah… like a madman.
Cell phones are an electronic leash. Give me your cell phone, and I’ll get the info off of it. These are a lifesaver for intoxicated juveniles… all you have to do is find the number that says “mom” or look for the largest number of similar last names.
Alternatively, you can simply dig through their call log and start contacting their most recent calls. Typically that 2AM call is their buddy that they went out bar-hopping with… and he’s usually VERY happy to get that 6AM phone call to come pick up his trashed, vomit-covered drinking buddy in the ER.
If they have a camera integrated into that cell phone, that opens up a whole new world of fun…
Yes, my ICE info is in place. Have it in hubby’s cell, too. Now, to keep the phones charged!!! :-)
I have two, both of whom have my parents contact details as well.
Thanks to Gruntdoc, our cell phone is ICE provided!
I definitely have an ICE in my phone, but it’s my sister, who is actually cool under pressure.
In past emergencies my mother fell apart– couldn’t even call 911 for me when I fell head first down a flight of stairs. Yep, not be helpful.
Yes–if Microsoft plays nice and decides to let me and a million other people have back the info stored, or that used to be stored, in our Sidekicks.
I have had my ICE info on my phones ever since the emails that all my family sends came out a few years ago. My new phone allows me when programming to designate 3 contacts as ICE — their names are red on the display along with a separate listing at the top for ICE. Hubby’s phone also has a section for notes which I programmed with his doctors, meds and allergies.
Just learned about an iPhone app (Close Call) that provides the ICE contact# on the wallpaper screen so it won’t matter that I have the phone password protected. Think I’ll add it. http://blog.polka.com/?p=170
That’s terrific, thanks Ramona! (It’s also a bummer; I thought I’d had a million dollar idea doing the same thing…) Needs its own post.
Just had to say the line in the Recent Comments column reading “Gruntdoc on Ice” brings up some great mental images of Disney characters, ice skates, army boots, fatigues and feathered headpieces.