Store kids' "ICE" info on a USB drive

We've talked before about storing important medical details on a USB drive (flash drive) so it's easily portable and transferable. Dawn points out that it works well for ICE ("in case of emergency") info as well:

Just discovered ICEPacket via Cool Mom Picks: it's a $30 USB drive that stores emergency info. We have a daughter with med issues, so this product appealed to me.

After looking at the site a couple of minutes, a hack came to mind. Why not buy a regular USB drive on the cheap (Amazon or office stores often have the smaller storage sized ones for $5), type the necessary info into a word processor (I would recommend saving in .pdf format, which can be opened by Macs or PCs), and using a Sharpie to print "Emergency," "1st Aid," "Med Info," or something else eye-catching. It can then be attached to the child with a lanyard or a backpack with a carabiner.

Don't forget to tell caregivers, teachers, grandparents, etc. about it so they know where to find it when necessary. It would also be great to put out for babysitters at home.

Related:
Keep important medical and legal documents handy on a keychain USB drive
Setting up family cell phones for emergency contact

Comments

[Julie]

I saw an emergency contact kit with a thumb drive just yesterday when I was looking for an ID bracelet for my toddler and I was wondering how useful they would really be. If it was truly an emergency, would someone take the time to find a computer to load the information? Would a hospital think to check it out (especially since they don't seem to be too common yet)? Anyone who is using them on a regular basis want to tell us if they've actually been used by a caregiver or emergency worker? Just curious...

[Beth]

I'm an EMT-Basic in Maryland. If the information is something the Paramedics or EMTs on the ambulance need to know PLEASE get the alert bracelet and use the thumb drive for the less urgent details. We don't have computers on the ambulance that can read the information on the thumb drive. However, we will find them as part of our physical assessments, so we'll let the hospital know to read them.

[RobMonroe]

USB thumb drives are incredibly prevalent, and this is brilliant, barring the real emergency information like serious medical conditions.

This would be a great way to carry around emergency contact numbers, shot records, et cetera and leave it in the diaper bag.

I understand that an ambulance does not have a computer on it, but if you are most places, you can find a computer or laptop within two minutes if you start asking people. USB drives are universal and work with all computers that are less than 5 or 6 years old.

(FYI - 1G USB drives are on sale at buy.com for $3.99 today!)

[Amy]

This is really brilliant. I've forwarded it to a friend whose daughter is allergic to everything.

Amy @ http://prettybabies.blogspot.com

[Cassie]

My biggest concern about this is lack of security. You have your child's most personal information on a USB drive, what happens if they lose it? Seems like a high risk of identity theft. And putting a password on it doesn't work, because then emergency personnel can't access the information if needed. Any ideas on this?

[raising4boys.com]

"Don't forget to tell caregivers, teachers, grandparents, etc. about it so they know where to find it when necessary. It would also be great to put out for babysitters at home."

If you're going to go to the trouble of telling them about it, why not just give the the info straightaway? If there's something that a teacher, caregiver, or babysitter needs to know then, well... They need to know it. Why create a barrier to the information?

[Anonymous]

I've often heard that it's not safe to give a child personalized clothing (ex: a hat with his/her name on it) because that makes it easier for a stranger with bad intentions to use the child's name and seem less threatening.

This scenario doesn't seem quite as risky, but there's also a LOT more information available if someone undesirable gets a hold of it.

Thoughts?

[jen]

We do both the medic alert bracelet and the thumb drive. The medic alert bracelet just lists allergies that are anaphylactic and life-threatening. The biggest question we get when listing his allergies for any medical professional is what were the symptoms of the allergic reaction. The thumb drive has a huge medical narrative broken down into separate files with subfiles. Allergies...GERD....daily medications with dosage...Other personal info needed...doctors...phone numbers...All of the important things they need to know in order for them to treat him correctly in case of a true, I can't get there immediatly and they need to help him style emergency. We have several drives in several places and we also have printed, bound copies of this information for people who work with him on a regular basis. His bracelet does say additional information available from a caregiver.

[Sandy]

An awesome option is the Amber Stick. http://www.amberstick.com/amber-stick/

It addresses many of the concerns listed here. You can put in all pertinent information for multiple children. There is space for medical info and complete descriptions, including photos.

It has password protection, and the software is included on the USB drive. No install needed, just plug it in.

And in addition to the uses listed here, it is mainly meant to be for helping to find missing children (you keep it, don't put it on the kid!). All you need to do is find a police officer. They all have computers in the squad cars now, and they can plug the drive right in. They instantly have all the information they need, and a nationwide Amber Alert is created.

Check with your local police or fire department to see if you can buy it at a discount.

[Lisa J.]

My husband and I have talked this over as we will be traveling out of the country in Oct. with our 2 yr. old. I saw a similar emergency packet for sale and asked my (techy type) husband if a normal USB stick would work. He said it will and that you can make any USB stick password protected (if you know how, which I do not, but he does.) The safety issue was a big concern for me as well, but the password makes me feel much more at ease. Don't know that I would use it for vital medical info, but I think it will be great for identity information should we need it while away from home.

My wife and I, too, looked a few of the products on the market that do this. We also considered buying a USB drive and just adding the information ourselves to save some money. In the end we decided upon the ICE Packet, and here is why (if you care):

1. It was self contained and did not require any software to be installed our computer to work.

2. The ICE Packet was the most portable, working on Windows, Mac, and even Linux (for unix users). We are Mac users, and the amber stick only works on Windows.

3. It provided a way to password protect and encrypted our information on the drive. It went even a step further and provided a way to protect our data, yet ensure it would be accessible by emergency personnel, by allowing us to create the security question as well as the answer (i.e. password). So to protect our data we entered a security question that would require that someone had another piece of information from us. For example, mine has the security question of "What is my driver's license?". If I lose my ICE Packet, someone would not be able to get at my information because they would not know whose driver's license to enter. However, if I were in a car accident the paramedics would have this information b/c my driver's license would be on me.

4. It's branding. While we could use a USB drive we purchased at the store, we realized that the branding and logo on the drive are of great importance in an emergency. The logo universally indicates that the ICE Packet is a medical related device.

[ryan]

I'm not sure if this really adds any safety value...

I work in IT (and have done some work in hospitals) and often we disable the operating systems ability to use USB storage for reasons of data theft or HIPPA (what the health care industry has to do to protect your info). So as someone whose lively hood relies on technology, I would not let my *life* depend on it.

Just get a sturdy piece of card stock and carry it in your wallet.

[Debbie Dubrow]

While our kids don't have allergies (and all the extra medical information that entails) we do carry a printed emergency contact list with us when we travel. I picked up an inexpensive clear waterproof "envelope" in REI's kayak department to store it in.

[elizabetsy]

Alternatly, look into google health, though some intRAnets block outside access.