Phone Health Apps for Emergency Information

In the event of an emergency it’s vital for medical staff to know who you are, have access to an emergency contact, and know your medical history. This is very important for everyone, not just those with SCI. Both the iPhone and the Droid have an App for that! The Rollin’ RN wants to share important step-by-step directions to access the “Health App” on either the iPhone or a Droid. For ease of explanation Roberta walks you through instructions for the iPhone and Patty will do the same for the Droid phone. So again, efforts were combined to create an easy to understand explanation to maintain safety in case of emergency.

iPhone App

The iPhone’s App is called the Health App. This app allows all that important information to be created in a Medical ID and available even if the phone is turned off and locked. Follow the instructions below to set up your Medical ID.

Locate the Health App already loaded on your iPhone and click on it.

Locate the head figure in the right hand corner at the top of the screen, click on it. Select Edit in the upper right hand corner of screen and update with requested information for your identity and hit Done.

Locate the Medical ID screen; scroll halfway down the page to the Edit option and click on it.

This will take you to a screen called Emergency Access. Locate the Show When Locked option and slide the button so it shows green. Everything on this page is what will be available for viewing in case of an emergency. Continue on to update requested information with your medical history and emergency contact then hit Done.

When this Show When Locked option is activated your Medical ID can be viewed when your phone is locked by selecting the Emergency option.

Then select Medical ID.

Again, everything on your Emergency Access page will be available to the medical staff in the event of an urgent situation.

Droid Smartphone App

Set up for the Droid Smartphone was not as straightforward but easy to access. First you must open Google Play Store and locate the ICE Emergency App. Install application. ICE (In Case of Emergency).

Allow the application to install. After installation, a page will appear to fill in all of your medical information. Blood type, allergies, and be sure to enter spinal cord injury level. The app also allows input of emergency phone numbers such as family members to be notified.

Once you input all of your medical information, save it, and close. The application will be in your phone. This is the IMPORTANT part. Move that icon to the FRONT LEFT CORNER of your phone. Paramedics know to look for information there. Be sure it is in the unlocked mode for access.

Having this vital information available can make all the difference in a life-threatening situation. So go ahead, take a few minutes and complete the Medical ID on your iPhone Health App and the ICE Emergency App on your Droid! It could be a matter of life or death!

It's all good, so keep on rollin,’

Roberta, RN and Patty, BSN, RNC

The Rollin’ RNs ™