During a game of cricket at our fabulous county cricket ground recently, John Hyde from Santander and I were talking about the proliferation and utility of technology in our day to day lives. One of the features of the Apple iPhone that John had not seen was the Medical App. This app is provided with all iPhones by default, so everyone has it.
In fact it was the ability of this app to allow a first aider to see emergency medical details without unlocking your phone that was most interesting.
Last year two people we know both suffered major medical problems while out and about. Rendered unconscious, there was no way to find out anything about them. The ability for a first aider to pick up the victims phone and see basic personal details, could potentially be a life saver.
To set your emergency details on the lock screen of your iPhone:
- You have to run the ‘health’ app
- Click on ‘medical id’ – bottom right * icon
- You only need to fill in the minimum amount of information
- Lock your phone
- Swipe to the right
- Click ‘Emergency’
- Click ‘Medical ID’ to see the information you’ve allowed to be displayed
My suggestion is to show your name, age, and next of kin details. Add any medication you are currently on too. Also put your allergies and any reactions you have to medicine, plasters, food. I am an organ donor, so explicitly stating this could save several other people’s lives too.
We are surrounded with all this technology, and apps with features like this really can be a life saver. If you or someone in your family has an iPhone, please go and show them how to set this feature up. You could save their life, without even being there when they need help.