Do people feel stigmatised by wearing a wristband with the word "Diabetes" on it?

[tap2tag]

There are a whole number of ways of alerting the emergency services that you have a medical problem. These include cards, jewellery and rubber/silicon wristbands. However has anyone asked the question whether people with Diabetes feel that wearing a band carries a stigma? In particular are children with the condition affected at school by wearing such items.

On the 2 May 2014 I am giving a talk with Chris Skidmore MP to an audience of health professionals and charities about a new medical alert system called Tap2Tag. This system allows you to store your own medical information on-line and, when accessed by an emergency first responder, can automatically text your ICE contacts. It uses NFC technologies in new Android and Windows phones as well so you simply tap the device to access the information. In my talk on the 2 May I wanted to relay information to the audience about the number of people that SHOULD have some form of medical alert system in place but choose not to. This could be the cost of the item, the annual subscription or the fact that people do not want the public to know their medical condition.

So my questions are these

1. If you have been told that a medical alert device would be a good idea but you choose not to wear one, then why?
2. Have you ever felt concerned that you are broadcasting a medical condition to people you do not know?
3. Have you ever felt stigmatised or bullied by other people for wearing such a device?

Your answers will help inform some key medical people to see if there is a gap between those that should be wearing medical alert devices and the reasons why some choose not to.

Your help is greatly appreciated.
Chris

 

[totsy]

hi,
i wear a sos bracelet , i dont care who knows what i have, if it wasn't for the fact that im allergic to loads of stuff i would have a tattoo with my illnesses/allergies done

 

[Engineer88]

No I feel much safer actually. I can lose my phone I would struggle to lose bracelet.

But then Ive had diabetes so long I dont know any different.

Quite honestly I would quite like it if I had a microchip accessable only by emergancy services implanted under skin with ICE details. Until then they are in my mobile under ICE

 

[noblehead]

So my questions are these

1. If you have been told that a medical alert device would be a good idea but you choose not to wear one, then why?
2. Have you ever felt concerned that you are broadcasting a medical condition to people you do not know?
3. Have you ever felt stigmatised or bullied by other people for wearing such a device?

1) Not sure I have been told, I choose not to wear a ID bracelet of any kind as I don't want to, however I do carry a card in my wallet to say I have diabetes and I'm an insulin dependant type 1.

2) I don't see the need to broadcast it although I'm not ashamed in any way.

3) No as I don't wear one.

 

[Squire Fulwood]

I have a fundamental problem with wearing collars of any kind even if they are rubber and worn on the wrist. I do not wear jewellery and I consider tattoos a bit of an outrage against the body. Such are my emotional prejudices.

Now for the more logical ones.

I am beset with requests for my mobile phone number for others to put on their databases for their own convenience. At one time Google would not let me log on to their services unless I gave them a mobile phone number. I asked what to do if I didn’t own a mobile phone and got no satisfactory answer.

My bank demanded my mobile phone number so they could text me with a PIN number after a transaction to prove it was me. Again I asked what happens if I don’t own a mobile phone and they replied that I would suffer a reduced banking service. I asked if they would supply the mobile phone needed and they said that they would not.

I bought a £10 phone just for the use of the bank. I don’t carry it about so it is not mobile and is plugged into the computer. So far it has had a couple of phone calls offering to reclaim PPI and to claim for an accident I have no memory of but it has had many more texts to the same effect.

I discussed this problem on another forum to discover that to get round these problems some phone owners were inventing false mobile numbers since they had objections to giving out their real numbers.

As for ICE contacts, it would be necessary to get their permission to store their number in an on line data base since I do not have the necessary authority.

So my points are.

1. Why does modern society assume that everyone owns a mobile phone.

2. Why does modern society assume that people who own a mobile phone want to divulge the number to all manner of databases without all necessary assurances that the information will not be abused as mine has.

3. I deplore the requirement to enter into that database telephone numbers that are not my own such as ICE contacts.

I point out that I, for one, would not like to be scraped up after an accident without the HCP’s having all available information but I think that there is still some thinking to be done. Quite a lot of thinking possibly.

PS I don't care who knows I have diabetes.

I HAVE DIABETES ............SO THERE.

 

[Squire Fulwood]

I just clicked the link and apparently you only have to pay someone £8 to get one of these things. In short, this thread is an advert.

 

[Alanp35]

I currently wear a yellow wristband depicting that I am an insulin dependent diabetic. I hope that it is never needed but it is there should I ever be found not totally in control or understanding,what is going on around me. I think that these are supportive and can only help in n emergency - which I hope,will never happen. It is all about planning.




Late onset T1, several auto immune issues.
Humalogmix25 twice a day, Methotrexate 25mg once per week, FolicAcid 5mg once per week, prednisolone 5mg daily, Allopurinol 300mg, Calcichew-D3 800iu, Levothyroxine 50mcg, Atenolol 50mg, Losarten 100mg, Aspirin 75mg, Nicorandil 20mg, Nitrolingual GTN spray, Metformin 2000mg, Allimemazine 10mg, Lanzoprazole 30mg, Atorvastatin 20mg, Co Codamol 8/500mg, Depo Medrone (Methylprednisolone) or double Prednisolone for 7 days in case of RA flare.

 

[))Denise((]

I never go anywhere without my handbag. I made my own ID card to put in my purse and a keyring that says I'm Type 2. It lists my meds. I also carry round a copy of my repeat prescription.

 

[tap2tag]

Thanks for all this. It's a great help. As someone above mentioned there is a link on the site as we have developed a more efficient and safe way of storing medical information. But this is not about selling stuff. There are various government initiatives to try and improve the well being of people with various kinds of medical conditions and this is why we have the support of a MP who has been sitting on the Parliamentary sub-committee for health. The key element is about choice. Whether you choose to have or not have a medical alert device of any kind is up to us. However we are trying to establish the reasons why someone would not carry a device; whether through cost, stigma or just your own personal preference. If there are people that would like to carry such an item but are put off by it as they feel it carries some sort of stigma or the costs of buying/maintaining the device are too high then something should be done for them.

 

[tap2tag]

No I feel much safer actually. I can lose my phone I would struggle to lose bracelet.

But then Ive had diabetes so long I dont know any different.

Quite honestly I would quite like it if I had a microchip accessable only by emergancy services implanted under skin with ICE details. Until then they are in my mobile under ICE

As phones become more and more useful for things like banking and making mobile payments there will be a requirement to put a PIN code on your phone to stop someone using it if you lose it. How will the emergency services find your ICE contacts if the phone is locked? It's a question that has been posed by paramedics we have spoken to as more and more people are using the automatic lock on their mobile phones.

 

[Engineer88]

Quite honestly I would quite like it if I had a microchip accessable only by

As phones become more and more useful for things like banking and making mobile payments there will be a requirement to put a PIN code on your phone to stop someone using it if you lose it. How will the emergency services find your ICE contacts if the phone is locked? It's a question that has been posed by paramedics we have spoken to as more and more people are using the automatic lock on their mobile phones.

I dont have a pin or lock. Simples.

Besides that your product looks clunky, is made out of silicone and I def wouldnt wear it.

Besides that it means ONLY a paramedic can help - no Joe bloggs can tell the operator if your passed out.

In the words of dragons den, I'm Out.

 

[picklebean]

1. If you have been told that a medical alert device would be a good idea but you choose not to wear one, then why?
I do wear one - a medic alert metal bracelet that never comes off for anything.

2. Have you ever felt concerned that you are broadcasting a medical condition to people you do not know?
No I have never felt concerned. I don't feel it's anything that I need to hide. For me there is no reason I wouldn't want someone to know.

3. Have you ever felt stigmatised or bullied by other people for wearing such a device?
No, never.

 

[Squire Fulwood]

As phones become more and more useful for things like banking and making mobile payments there will be a requirement to put a PIN code on your phone to stop someone using it if you lose it. How will the emergency services find your ICE contacts if the phone is locked? It's a question that has been posed by paramedics we have spoken to as more and more people are using the automatic lock on their mobile phones.

What bloody phone. Is it compulsory now???

 

[tap2tag]

Quite honestly I would quite like it if I had a microchip accessable only by


I dont have a pin or lock. Simples.

Besides that your product looks clunky, is made out of silicone and I def wouldnt wear it.

Besides that it means ONLY a paramedic can help - no Joe bloggs can tell the operator if your passed out.

In the words of dragons den, I'm Out.

Thanks for the feedback. In fact anyone can access the information but they need to have an account to access a person's detailed information. In that way the person with the band can see, at a later time if necessary, who has accessed their information. It's all part of adding extra security for our important information.

 

[peacetrain]

I carry my medical information in my bag, which is with me at all times.

Taptotag - don't you have the research done prior to going ahead with the development of the product?


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[CollieBoy]

I carry my medical information in my bag, which is with me at all times.

Taptotag - don't you have the research done prior to going ahead with the development of the product?


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

Looks like a rhetorical questiom hiding a blatant ad! He doesn't want any answers only to plug his product.

 

[paul-1976]

Looks like a rhetorical questiom hiding a blatant ad! He doesn't want any answers only to plug his product.

Still...at least it's a change from kitchens!

 

[Squire Fulwood]

Still...at least it's a change from kitchens

There is that, .............. blessing I suppose,