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Commercial Products That Convey Personal Health Information in Emergencies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2013

Vishnu C. Potini ,
Dilani N. Weerasuriya ,
Douglas W. Lowery-North  and
Arthur L. Kellermann
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Abstract

Objective: Describe commercially available products and services designed to convey personal health information in emergencies.

Methods: The search engine Google®, supplemented by print ads, was used to identify companies and organizations that offer relevant products and services to the general market. Disease-specific, health system, and health plan-specific offerings were excluded. Vendor web sites were the primary sources of information, supplemented by telephone and e-mail queries to sales representatives. Perfect inter-rater agreement was achieved.

Results: Thirty-nine unique vendors were identified. Eight sell engraved jewelry. Three offer an embossed card or pamphlet. Twelve supply USB drives with various features. Eleven support password-protected web sites. Five maintain national call centers. Available media differed markedly with respect to capacity and accessibility. Quoted prices ranged from a one-time expenditure of $3.50 to an annual fee of $200. Associated features and annual fees varied widely.

Conclusion: A wide range of products and services exist to help patients convey personal health information. Health care providers should be familiar with their features, so they can access the information in a disaster or emergency.

(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2011;5:261–265)

Keywords

personal health informationemergency care disaster preparednesspatient identification systemspersonal health informationemergenciesinternetsmart cardsmedical records systems, computerizedjewelrytelephonecell phone
Type
Commentary
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 5 , Issue 4 , December 2011 , pp. 261 - 265
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2011

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