What is a Medical Alert? The Complete Beginner’s Guide

Children and adults alike have medical conditions that are severe enough if not caught and treated in a reasonable amount of time could result in a serious permanent disability or even death. To reduce the worst-case scenarios there needs to be a way to alert bystanders and first responders what is going on. If the afflicted party is unconscious a medical alert is the best way to relay what might be wrong

Medical alerts can:

• Provide critical life-saving information.
• Provide emergency contact information.
• Be worn discreetly.
• Be worn by anyone regardless of age.
• Provide peace of mind for both the wearer and loved ones.

We offer 2 types of Medical Alerts:

• Paracord Bracelets
• Dog tag style necklaces

In this guide we’ll share what information we feel is needed and what’s not needed. We’ll also share tips and best practices. This all comes from over 40 years of experience in EMS and over 20 years of owning and operating a private ambulance service, and over 10 years of selling medical alerts in our Etsy shop.

Who Should Wear a Medical Alert

• Anyone that has a life-threatening condition should wear a medical alert bracelet.
• Individuals with severe food allergies or allergies to medications.
• Individuals that are unable to or have difficulty communicating what is wrong such as Dementia, Alzheimer’s or are Non-verbal.
• Anyone that may wander off or elope from a facility.
• Someone with a chronic medical condition.

NOT FOR CHILDREN UNDER 3 YEARS OLD. CHOKING HAZARD. CONTAINS SMALL PARTS.

What Information is Needed

We’ve made thousands of medical alert bracelets and have had some odd requests for the information to include on them. But mostly people try to put their entire medical history on the bracelet (or as we call it “the Library of Congress”.) This is a prime example of less being more.

There’s a limited amount of space available on our medical alert bracelets: 1.2″ by .4″ to be exact. That’s not a lot of room for unnecessary information on the bracelet. Note: there is more room on a dog tag and both sides can be used.

The single most important item that you can put on the medical alert is the phone number of a responsible party that knows what’s going on with the patient.

What else should be on there:

• Life threatening/serious/chronic medical conditions.
• Allergies. Keep it simple; Severe Food Allergies, Nut Allergies, Medication Allergies, Bee Stings.
• Implants that can interfere with testing/treatment such as IVs, MRIs, Blood Pressure in a certain arm.
• If they’re unable to communicate with first responders. Non-verbal etc.
• If they carry an EpiPen or Inhaler
• If they are going to wander or elope
• If they are waiting on an organ transplant or recently received one.

Medical Alert Bracelet or Dog Tag. Which is Better

As stated above we offer both medical alert bracelets and dog tags. Each has both benefits and drawbacks, but one of them should work for your particular situation.

Paracord Bracelet

Our waterproof medical alert bracelet is by far our most popular and chosen by most of our customers. The Paracord bracelets come in a variety of colors and sizes and the smaller sizes can be gutted (inner strands removed) to create a slimmer profile bracelet.

We offer 3 different clasps: 3/8″ plastic, 5/8″ plastic, and a metalic clasp. Parents have commented that the clasps make it difficult for children to remove them. This is a good thing as the medical alert is useless if it’s not being worn.

They are loved by both kids and adults alike because they are durable, fashionable and come in a wide array of colors to match whatever they are wearing, without breaking the bank.

During a medical assessment by first responders the colorful bracelet and the red printing should jump out and alert them of the medical condition.

The downside is the size of the charm. It only allows so much information to be conveyed, and it’s only one-sided. Also, some illnesses can cause a tactile aversion and the feel of the bracelet on the skin is unbearable.

The personalized printing on the bracelet will be waterproof, durable and will last for years with normal wear and tear. However, the aluminum tag could be damaged by hard play or abuse causing the printing to wear away.

Dog Tag Necklace

Our waterproof medical alert dog tag measures 1.125″ x 2″ and is .07″ thick (a hair thicker than a quarter) and can have information on both sides. It comes with a 24″ beaded chain to be worn around the neck.

They can be the ideal solution for someone that doesn’t want their medical alert visible to everyone. They are also great for individuals that don’t like the constrictive feel of a bracelet around their wrist.

First responders are trained to look for medical alerts and finding one around the neck is a normal occurrence. The dog tag necklace has a high probability of being worn all of the time as most people will “feel naked” when not wearing it.

This type of medical alert is superior when it comes to wear and tear and stands up to harsh environments and abuse very well. We sell hundreds of dog tags for other applications as keychains, and they do not get severely damaged rattling around with keys in a a pocket or purse.

A lot of information can be printed on the dog tag, and they are the perfect solution for someone with a complex medical history where a lot of information must be conveyed. If one dog tag is not enough a second can be worn on the same chain.

*Not recommended for children under the age of 3 years old as both styles contain small parts and could present a choking hazard.

How to Create Your Medical Alert

Visit EMSAlerts on Etsy and select any of our medical alert listings. Each listing includes specifications on how many characters per line are allowed.

You should consult with your physician to see what they feel is necessary on the medical alert. And you can contact us, and we will help you lay out your medical alert.

Medical alerts that have customization (we also offer several stock conditions) will have an area for personalization. Add your text there or in a note to the seller. Read it over before completing the order and check for spelling. We copy and paste your text so if you messed it up it will be messed up on the bracelet.

Measure the wrist. Don’t measure another bracelet or give us the size of another bracelet. All of our bracelets are based on wrist size (whole and half inch sizes only). We have to compensate for the size of the Paracord when making the bracelet which is needed to fit properly. Adjust the tape measure to be as snug or loose as you want the bracelet to be (again, based on whole and half inch sizes). There is a picture on each listing that shows the correct measuring technique.

We strongly recommend that you include a phone number that can receive text messages. Most people don’t check their Etsy account that often to see messages and a lot of the times your email server will treat the messages as spam. Consequently, this may delay your order or cause us to refund it because we cannot complete the order.

Best Practices

Like I’ve stated earlier keep it simple

• Life threatening illness or conditions
• Severe allergies
• First name of the wearer
• EMERGENCY CONTACT PHONE #

What is not necessary 99% of the time

• Date of birth
• Blood type (unless related to why they need the medical alert)
• Emergency contact’s name
• Doctor’s phone # or info
• Hospital info (medical necessity ends once a hospital that can treat the condition is passed)
• Wearer’s last name
• Home address

Not recommended for children under the age of 3 years old as both styles contain small parts and could present a choking hazard.

Get started with your Medical Alert today

There’s no reason to put it off. Have peace of mind that you or your loved one is safe in the event of an emergency and will get the proper treatment. Control your own destiny by choosing to wear a Medical Alert from EMS Alerts.

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