My ID Square*

Today I am reviewing a medical alert product called My ID Square. 

  

I think that medical alert bracelets and other jewelry are essential for people with complicated medical issues.  I was first interested in such products when I was teaching and worried that if I wasn’t with someone who knew me, I needed something that would, in effect, speak for me if I could not communicate on my own, in a medical crisis or other type of an emergency.

I have tried many types of medical alert jewelry that are available, so I am excited that I am getting to try the My ID Square and adding it to my repertoire.

SquID squares (shown here), which can be attached to bracelets or necklaces, cost $47, which provides a lifetime subscription to the Emergency Medical Profile.  Squid Tags (dog tags) are $44, and also come with a lifetime subscription to the Emergency Medical Profile.     

In the Emergency Medical Profile, you can include date of birth, emergency contacts, allergies, medical devices and problems, medications, medical providers and insurance information, important dates, and any other information you want to include.  

Pros:

+ Made specifically for use as medical alert jewelry.

+ Love the packaging and the QR code concept.

+ The plastic QR part is colorful and probably great for kids.

+ Maintaining the Emergency Medical Profile database is built-in to the price of the ID, so you don’t have to pay a yearly fee for your information to be stored.

Cons:

- Not sure that this ID is great for professional, working adults.

- Has a small charm with a medical alert symbol and has a large one on the back of the part with the QR code, and since this concept might not be familiar to emergency responders, this might be overlooked.

- I am wondering whether all paramedics and medical personnel at hospitals are equipped with smart phones in order to read the QR code or even recognize that that is what it is.  I guess to circumvent this, the back of the ID has a web address and code so that it can be entered on the internet if a QR scanner is not available, but that sort of takes away from the concept.

- I don’t love the interface of the online database.  For example, there is no “boyfriend” option.  Additionally, I think because of this, when I attempted to make my boyfriend the primary contact, the system kept reverting back to my mom in the version that medial providers and first responders can see.  My mom is in Michigan and I’m in New York, so while she is definitely top on my emergency contact list, it doesn’t make sense for her to be the primary since we aren’t in the same state. 

- In order for your emergency contacts to be included, it requires that an e-mail or text message is sent to your contacts so that they can confirm.  I don’t really like this.  Other interfaces allow you to assign emergency contacts without requiring that they are contacted to confirm.  I worry that this could freak out unsuspecting people and they might mistaken it as an actual emergency.    

Overall, I think this concept is great and it’s a really innovative use of technology.  However, with many hospitals and medical providers just getting on the electronic medical records bandwagon, I worry that this might be too new for widespread use.

In other words, I love the concept, but am not so sure about the execution of it.

Thankfully, I have never been in a situation where my medical alert bracelet has been needed.  But I think that that’s really the true test of this product and others like it.  It’s great to have peace of mind on a daily basis by simply wearing a medical alert, but it’s more important to have that product work in an emergency situation.   

For more information, visit http://myidsquare.com/.      

And now through April 22, 2014, if you purchase a SquID, you can use the discount code GettingCloserToMyself15 and receive 15% off your order.

* My ID Square was generous enough to provide me with a SquID for free.  However, it was ultimately my choice to write a review, and has to do solely with my personal opinion of the product.