There are many elements to being prepared for a medical emergency – a small but important one is making sure all of your health information is up-to-date, in one secure place, and readily accessible whenever and wherever you need it.
You can manage all the health information you store in Backpack on Backpack’s iOS app, Android app, or on the web at my.backpackhealth.com.
Make your critical information accessible in multiple ways.
Every Backpack comes with its own Emergency Share Card. Once you add your most important health information to your or your loved one’s Emergency Share Card, you can:
Share the URL and access code with anyone you choose – like your doctors, your nearest hospital, your caregivers, and your family.
Link it to your medical jewelry.
Make it instantly accessible from your phone’s lock screen.
Download and print a copy to keep in your wallet or purse.
That way, the care team you have now and any health professionals caring for you in the future can view your most recent emergency information anytime, and in any of Backpack Health’s six supported languages (with more languages to come!).
Include all the information health care personnel might need.
Making your Emergency Share Card accessible is only half the battle – you also have to add your critical information to it. It’s hard to anticipate exactly which details will be relevant in an emergency, but here’s a quick overview of what might be a good idea to include:
Conditions & Symptoms - Add the chronic and acute illnesses, ailments, and diseases that impact your everyday and long-term health. If symptoms subside on their own, you can always remove them from your Emergency Share Card and keep them in your Backpack for a more complete health history.
Medications - Include an up-to-date list of the meds you’re taking on a regular basis, how often, and what dose.
Treatments & Therapies - List any medical equipment or supplies you’re using. Make sure to add a comment with the model, serial number, supplier information, and the settings you use.
Allergies - Help medical professionals quickly diagnose an allergic reaction if you’re having one, and list your Medication Allergies so they know not to treat you with a medication you’re allergic to. Include the reactions you’ve had in the past so they know what to look for.
Measurements - If you’re not feeling well, track vitals like your temperature and blood pressure to share with your doctor(s).
Vaccinations - Keep an up-to-date record of your immunizations.
> Read more about adding health information
Add your emergency and health care contacts.
To ensure you get the support and care you need in an unexpected emergency, it’s important to have contact information for your support system on-hand:
Add your personal emergency contacts, and their health care representative role if they have one.
Add contact information for your doctors and specialists.
Add the hospital that specializes in your care, or that you’ve been to and prefer.
Include medical documents and other important files.
You can upload files and add them to your Emergency Share Card to give emergency personnel access to information about your health in even more detail. Include files like your:
Health insurance ID card
Pharmacy or prescription ID card
Medicare or Medicaid card
Medication prescription
Eyeglass prescription
Disability documentation
Living will or health care power of attorney
Medical images
Test reports
> Read more about adding files