Making Your Emergency Contact Information Available

Last Updated: 9/10/2007

If medical personnel have access to your medical history during an emergency, it could mean the difference between life and death. But if you are injured or in shock, you may not be able to provide that information. To solve this problem, a number of systems have been developed to help make important contact and medical history information available to emergency medical personnel.

• ICE Contact. A campaign is encouraging people to put their emergency contact information in their cell phones under the heading ICE (In Case of Emergency). This would allow paramedics or other medical personnel to immediately know who to contact in the event of an emergency. The campaign was started by a paramedic in the United Kingdom and has spread to the United States. For more information, click here.
• The National Next of Kin Registry (NOKR). The NOKR is a free Web site that allows you to register yourself and your next of kin. The information is not available to the public, but it is available to emergency service personnel. If you are in an accident, the emergency services agency would be able to search the website to find your next of kin and notify him or her about your condition. To register on the NOKR, click here.
• Vial of Life Project. The Vial of Life Project provides a form and decals for free. You can fill in your medical history on the form, put it in a bag, put other important information you may have in the bag, affix a decal to the front of the bag, and tape it in a prominent place. If medical personnel respond to an emergency at your house, they will be able to easily access your medical history, names of your doctors, and your emergency contact information. To fill out the Vial of Life form, click here.

To get the most out of an emergency contact, you should make sure the person you choose as your emergency contact has agreed to act in this capacity, knows about any allergies or other factors that could affect your treatment, and knows who to contact on your behalf.