Useless Gadget!

[Marvin]

Besides my Diabetes I have multiple health problems, and for the last couple of years have been carrying a U-Tag medic-alert pendant incorporating a USB memory stick on which is recorded medical history, medication list, details of doctor, next-of-kin etc. The idea is that if taken ill all that information is available to anyone with a computer. (You can choose what information is "open" and what is hidden from casual observers.) Seems like a good idea? I thought so.... until last week when I was rushed into A&E in my local hospital in intense pain with a kidney stone (ouch! OUCH! OUCH!!!!)
We were in too much of a hurry (and besides I wasn't thinking clearly) to take my wallet and list of medication with me, but I was wearing my pendant, and when asked for my medication list I handed it over and said "Its all on there". Imagine my surprise and dismay when I was told "We'll try, but we probably won't be able to read that; all our computers are fixed so that they will only accept encrypted devices." And so it proved.
I suppose its understandable that they don't want to plug anything into their computer that might contain malware etc. But I have been living in this false sense of security, that whatever happened to me, my medical details would be available to whoever tried to help me.
So, be warned everybody.... carry a hard copy of your details with you, and even when you are in a diabetic coma, or in so much pain that you can't string a sentence together, remember to take it with you to A&E!

 

[daisy1]

I am bumping up your post so more people can see it.

 

[steve451]

Hi. I'm glad I read your post. I have been looking at carrying some sort of IM / medical data with me, because of the diabetes and in case of an accident when out and about on my bike and came across these USB things online. I'm a bit of a Mr Gadget, so these appealed to me, but I'm glad I opted for the SOS talisman now, along with a back-up necklace from Ebay engraved "diabetic" - under a fiver delivered, and needs no computer, especially as when out and about I usually only take an emergency fiver with me, not my wallet, cards etc.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

This does suggest that A&E should have a computer which will accept USB sticks.

It would have to be isolated from any network and would have to scan any USB stick for general malware.

I suspect that these requirements would make it too much trouble and expense, though.

Alternatively that if this is a common problem (and modern security policies do normally ban USB sticks) then sites selling USB sticks for keeping emergency medical data which are in fact not fit for purpose should be flagged up to Trading Standards.

Cheers

LGC

 

[chrisy2]

Thanks for that information, as I have one of those, now I will out that and carry a hard copy somewhere about me all of the time as not everything can go on my necklace medallion I wear. :eh:

 

[Cheryl]

I use a pump & the hospital clinic mentioned to me recently that they'd had to jump through all sorts of hoops to be allowed to derestrict the computer in the clinic so that they could plug in the usb that allows them to download their patients' pump data.

It all seems to stem from that big loss of data by HMRC (when they lost 20 million child benefit details) a couple of years sgo. I work in the public sector myself & shortly after that, every usb port & CD-rom drive was locked down to no one can copy anything from a public sector computer system. Even those who really need it have to go to great lengths to prove that it is essential even to be allowed to read CD roms, let alone write them!! I am one of the very lucky ones to have an encrypted usb stick and these are the only ones that our computers will alow to be used, absolutely no exceptions.

It's all a bit of a knee jerk reaction (to put it mildly). Data security is very important of course, but we have all been moved down to the lowest common denominator and the government just assume that no one is capable of looking after anything or acting with common sense in any situation.

Maybe if more & more people start carrying these devices, A&E departments will invest in a cheap stand-alone computer to allow them to read the information on them. Until then, yes it does seem like a rather useless gadget I'm afraid. It's a chicken & egg sitation, if hospitals can't read the devices, no one will buy them, if no one buys them, hospitals won't invest in the technology to read them.

If you travel, you may well find that hospitals abroad can read them, they often don't have the restrictions that we do.