Paramedics, 1 Tip May Save Your Life. Each second counts. LIST Med Hst, Meds, Blood Type, Contacts

[appalachiablue]

NYT, Well newsletter, July 12, 2024.

When paramedics arrive at the scene of an emergency, they have to gather information, often quickly and under chaotic circumstances. They need to know about a patient’s basic health, said Elizabeth DiRocco, a paramedic with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. But sometimes that person is incapacitated.

If paramedics are in a house, they’ll scan the fridge or the bathroom cabinet for medications and try to find identification in a wallet or a purse, DiRocco explained. But scrambling for these items “eats up time,” said Anthony Almojera, a paramedic and lieutenant for the New York Fire Department. “Our role is to buy you time.” Seconds count. Brain damage can occur in as little as five minutes if your brain is deprived of oxygen during a heart attack or stroke.

Most of us don’t want to think about the circumstances that might bring paramedics to our door. But there is something you can do today that could be an actual lifesaver: making your medical information handy. Here’s how.
- Step one: Write down your details.
Almojera recommended jotting the following on a letter-size piece of paper and a sheet that can fit into your wallet: your name, date of birth, medical history, an emergency contact number and medications you are currently taking, as well as the dosage and any allergies.

Those basic details are helpful, “but the more health information, the better,” Almojera said. Including your blood type, for example, is useful for the emergency room doctors if a blood transfusion is needed, he said. If you’re able to laminate both sheets to protect them, even better, Almojera said. (Office supply stores carry inexpensive self-sealing laminating pouches)...
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/12/well/paramedics-health-history.html

[cbabe]

1. My doc hands out fluorescent green check lists to post on the frig.

[appalachiablue]

2. Good to know, thank you.

[MOMFUDSKI]

3. There is a medical thingy in my IPhone.

I have filled it out. Diabetic on insulin. If I had a low sugar situation and passed out they would know to first check my blood sugar level. It could save my life

[appalachiablue]

5. Well done & good to know. More should use their ph. for health hist., info.

[Warpy]

4. Even with a blood pressure of 70/30, I sat on my front porch

waiting for the ambulance to turn up. I wrote out a history, meds, allergies out by the porch light. I finished it just as the cookie cart pulled up.

If you're going to need to be rushed to a hospital or you are getting a family member thee, take the time to write this stuff down. In fact, keep a copy of it somewhere and update it every 6 months or as needed. It really does save time and sometimes time can be themost important thing.

I'm still amazed that I managed it while I was going into shock. Old nurses never die, they sit and chart until a funeral home carts them away.

[appalachiablue]

6. Impt advice, thanks. Determination and strength are gifts, esp in an emergency.