I’d like to make a medical alert tag that includes a QR code to a folder with a few sub folders containing various medical files.
Would Google Drive be suitable enough for something like this?
I’m just learning to use Drive and QR codes.
Thanks for any advice!
I would say yes. You can put all your files there, and create a shared link. Then use one of the many QR creator sites to create a QR code that links to that URL. My worry is that someone would scan the QR code when I’m not looking or don’t want them to.
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For it to work you would have to also allow public access to your medical records, not something I would want to do.
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Thanks. So far looks good to me and quite fast to learn…just wanted to make sure I’m not overlooking something.
You mean worried someone in public could scan it? I would have it around my neck inside my shirt.
I suppose if it were even ever used it’d be by ER staff and they’d need to use their phone and then would of course have my NHI number but they’d have access to that anyway. The main purpose is to make it faster to get directly to my most pertinent and updated info as I was once in a resuscitation room and it was taking them a long time sifting through my records trying to decide the best course of action. Seems this way would make things much more efficient.
They won’t use it anyway until after the emergency, it is not something they are trained to do or would trust in an emergency. Just get your doctor to put the relevant information in the emergency information section of your NHI.
Also if its public on google documents there is a chance that people could find the information without the QR code.
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Thanks. As to my other reply. It would only be ER staff that would ever be able to scan the code. I suppose they could pass it around to others but it’s just going to be several documents pertaining to one condition. ECG and a few other such tests. I could black out my ID and name but they’d already have that anyway.
And then after any visit I could change the QR code just to make sure it’s not floating around.
Thanks for your comment.
I didn’t know that was possible but I’ll ask about it for sure!
The problem before is they’d be coming back and forth verifying what they find on the computer with me. Even during doctor visits they’re always having trouble finding things.
By hacking into it, or by someone with original access passing stuff around?
Thanks for that input
It could in theory be picked up by a google search, no need to hack as you would have it public so the staff could access it.
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Do you just need a tag that says you’re allergic to fish (for example)? Or do you want the public to see your entire medical record? Because if you set up a drive directory as public anyone will be able to see it.
If it’s doctors they can access your medical record through NHI system.
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Ok. So I’ll need to rethink this then. Doesn’t look super easy but it’s not difficult either. They tell how it’s done here and give a link as an example.
Thanks again.
It’s more then just a single problem. For example I have a heart arrhythmia and last time at ER they didn’t find the hospital info on how they had dealt with it ,and so it was …" Do you want to be shocked with these or shall we try one of these 2 meds, one of which will stop your heart?". " But first we need to shove these swabs into your nostrils ".
Luckily I was coherent enough to decide.
I don’t want the public to access it but just ER staff.
And not all my records but a fair amount more then what I could fit on a tag.
Yes, doctors can access it through NHI but they don’t seem to be able to navigate it quickly.
May have something to do with having files that go all the way back to when NHI began.
Anyway, I’ll rethink it all and take the advice about having a doctor update my emergency data.
For now I’ll get some tags and just plan to put the conditions along with a list of meds I take.
It’s changeable so don’t want to have some fancy etching done so thinking of having plastic stickers which I can just have updated cheaply if something like meds change and then change the stickers.
At the moment I just have things written on a card. When I’ve gone to ER and tell them what’s happening I just then give them the card and they type it in and then things go more smoothly.
What do you think of the sticker idea on tags?
Thanks
I got my dad a sos medical talisman some years ago, maybe look at getting one, if you know someone who can write small and clear you can get a lot of info in them.
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Honestly you are just better off carrying a flash card, USB thumb drive, or other storage devices with your medical information should you need it in the ER, maybe included in your SOS medical talisman.
But don’t put it in google drive, anyone will be able to access it. And medical info is privileged information.
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You could put it in a google drive but password protect all the files. Then when you print the QR code put the password next to it. That way nobody can access the files if they stumble upon the file randomly (highly unlikely btw). Although they could brute force the password if they really wanted.
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No hospital will plug a random USB drive in for risk of ransomware.
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Thanks.That looks really nice. But for my general conditions it’d just be easier to have something I can throw down at the ER check in desk to minimize general questions and check in time. I’ve sometimes been flustered and not so easy when being bombarded by questions.That’s why I’m thinking of something like blank medical dog tags- red ones, and just have plastic stickers made with fine print to put on them. I guess that would be cheap enough to do and not too costly when needing to update to new stickers. Plus my wife could have a copy.
I do carry one in case I need copies of something for a doctor at a different hospital. I guess it would hurt to carry a small one with the small amount of records I’d possibly use once inside an ER.
Actually I’m not too worried about the limited info that’d be available such as more details about my arrhythmia and what best got it under control and what didn’t work. I could just make sure all other data like patient number and things were blanked out.
You guys are giving lots of good things to consider. Thanks!
That sounds like a possible solution! Would most people know the number next to it was a password? I’ll set up a test one and see how that looks.
Not sure what they do about that. I know I’ve had certain types of image files like catheterization that were needed from one hospital to transfer to another and I had to do it by CD…it seemed like a common process. Not sure about a thumb drive though.
They got those wallet sized CD/DVD that maybe you can burn your file to it… the problem though is what if the disc rots when you least expected, and can’t be read by the ER because of it.
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