Bracelets are more than a fashion statement

Medical Bracelets

The old commercials advertising medical bracelets might be a thing of the past, but these pieces of practical jewelry save lives every year. Medical bracelets can help the people who wear them in several ways: for people who are unconscious or can’t speak, medical bracelets can give critical information about their health conditions and instructions on treatment. And for people who might not be able to explain their medical conditions—young children and older, less lucid patients—medical bracelets can help first response teams save valuable time.

Other medical alert devices allow people to push a button on a pendant or bracelet and call for emergency services when they need immediate medical attention. But medical bracelets and alert systems are getting a makeover, both for looks and for function: with designer options and high-tech machinery, medical bracelets are moving into the future.

Style with substance

The first medical alert bracelets and tags were styled after military dog tags, which are used for quick identification of soldiers on the field. But updated versions—some made from fabric, some from gold—allow their wearers to display their medical jewelry with pride.

Fashionable options for medical identification jewelry can give people with serious medical conditions more of an incentive to wear it—and it could save hundreds of lives a year.

The future of medical alert systems

Bracelets and other jewelry can help paramedics discover allergies and other conditions, but patients with more complex health problems might not be able to fit them onto the back of a pendant or a bracelet tag. For people who want to be able to provide health care staff with their medical history, high-tech options are becoming popular. The MedInfoChip is worn like a medical dog tag necklace—but instead of a simple engraved pendant, it’s a USB drive containing the wearer’s medical history. Other products include the Invisible Bracelet, aren’t jewelry at all—instead, it’s a personal ID number that gives its owner and their health care providers access to a website with detailed medical information. These options allow their owners the ability to provide their medical histories, and gives them a certain amount of security as well.

More high-tech and high-fashion items for medical jewelry continue to evolve—and as technology becomes smaller and more portable, the ability to carry personal medical information may become more common. But until then, stylish and secure medical jewelry still gives its owners a chance for quick and effective treatment.