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Yeah - I think if you're really in this situation, a medic-alert bracelet is the way to go. Internationally recognised.

it also covers any oddball medical things -- allergies, diabetes, asthma, obscure medical conditions, sinus inversus, missing feet, colour blindness, whatever you really like - and emergency people already know to check for these.

It certainly won't stop first-responders administering CPR and other 'emergency' first-aid, but in reality first-reponders situations are either minor enough that people wouldn't want DNR order to take effect anyway; OR first-responders really seek to stabilise and transport.. Once transport is initiated, THERE, the D.N.R. order can be investigated properly.

Yes I did. We have universal symbols for warning. The specifics of the warning are typically written by hand.

Like MedicAlert.

Cute. No, actually, it's not a good starting point at all, regardless of whether the Earth goes boom. This idea is crap. It's a needlessly brittle way of providing first responders with important medical information. Simpler, more reliable ways of doing that already exist, including the whole database aspect of it. The new ideas here are using a QR code and a smartphone with proprietary software to access the database. Reliable operation depends heavily on uninterested third parties.

It's almost like a bunch of people that enjoy making money off of smartphone and social networking technology decided to shoehorn that same thinking into emergency services. [sarcasm]How could you lose when you combine two hot, growing markets like smartphones and healthcare? It's a definite win-win.[/sarcasm]

Write your medical condition on bracelet. I guess you can fit more info on a website but still.
Do they not have them everywhere?
http://www.medicalert.org/shop/shopHome.htm

I've heard enough stories/read enough stuff in the news about things like that happening that I've really been meaning to get one of these for a while, but I keep slacking. Really should do something about that, though. I'm sure it beats getting tased.

There's also the MedicAlert E-HealthKey, a USB flash drive that has your medical information on it.

Obviously, the MedicAlert bracelet/necklace is more useful for immediate/life threatening conditions.

If you want that service for yourself, fine -- sign up with MedicAlert who have been doing that sort of thing for 50-plus years, and emergency responders are all trained to look for the MedicAlert tag. They're also a non-profit, which I'm inclined to think makes them more trustworthy than Microsoft.

There are some other outfits that have similar services -- Divers Alert Network (DAN) comes to mind, also a non-profit, they're specialized for divers and offer a number of related services (training, etc - they're associated with Duke University Medical Center).

The advantage is that it is possible to get your medical journal when you are visiting a different country, which in turn can improve the ability to get the correct medication and avoid medical hazards.

http://www.medicalert.org/Main/AboutUs.aspx

KFG

Let me be the first to say that we already have a system in place that solves this exact problem. Its called the MedicAlert System (commonly found in a metal bracelet).

My wife, a diabetic and celiac, wears one, and it works perfectly for identifying and retrieving the medical records of the patient in seconds. No need for an invasive, implantable chip, and the best part... you can take it off if you don't want to wear it (such as when attending rallies where carrying identification can be a problem).

Why should we enforce people who are not sick or those who do not have a "rough" medical history, to have a chip implanted in them?

I'll be the first in line to be gouging this out of my arm with a very sharp scalpel or other object. Sorry, I prefer my 4th Amendment Rights to remain true:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

No thank you, you can't have my encryption keys (and yes, I would rather die before giving up those keys, even if they simply secured my cornbread recipe), and you most-certainly can NOT have my medical history, without my direct consent or approval, even in life-or-death situations.

You mean like the Medicalert bracelets that have been available for years?

What if someone is asleep or knocked unconsious?

Presumably, after indulging in an experimental and no doubt expensive procedure, I'm betting that the subject would be given a MedicAlert bracelet that would give the attending EMT a head's up...