X-Message-Number: 12243 Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 20:17:03 +1000 From: Simon Carter <> Subject: Re: CryoNet #12241 (improved access to medical info) In CryoNet Message #12241 David King wrote: > > It's 2 a.m. and paramedics rush an unconscious man to an emergency room. > > Little is known about the patient, and his medical records are not > > available until the start of the business day, so a doctor runs > > a battery of expensive and time-consuming tests. > > > > But another scene may soon unfold. This time, paramedics reach the patient > > who is carrying a medical-alert card emblazoned with a Web address. They > > radio the information to the hospital, where a nurse logs onto a Web > > site containing the patient's medical records. By the time the ambulance > > arrives at the ER, a doctor has reviewed the patient's medical history > > and charted a course of possible treatment. > > I think an even better solution would be a microchip embedded under our skin > which contains all of our medical history. A reader in the ambulance could > read the chip and instantly know any allergies or special circumstances that > doctors should know about. I would expect this to become a widespread > practice in the near future. I imagine this will happen tho' I can also imagine the privacy issues involved! It may take a while for people to get used to the idea of implanted chips however. I reckon enhancing our cryonics alert bracelets/wallet cards with a link to web info is the way to go at present. Simon ------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Simon Carter -- http://svrc.it.uq.edu.au/pages/Simon_Carter_staff.html -- -- Software Verification Research Centre -- The University of Queensland, QLD 4072 -- AUSTRALIA ------------------------------------------------------------------ Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=12243