olevetonahill
5/19/2011, 11:11 AM
PROVISION OF MEDICAL IDENTIFICATION (ID) BRACELETS AND PENDANTS1. PURPOSE:
This Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Directive provides policy regarding the provision of medical identification (ID) bracelets or pendants containing pertinent medical information (allergies or diagnoses) that would be valuable to emergency health care providers.
2. BACKGROUND:
Symptoms of common ailments can be misdiagnosed by responders to an emergent situation involving a person who is unable to communicate. Prompt and accurate diagnosis is essential to effective treatment. The use of an ID bracelet or pendant is a standard way to provide this information to health care providers in a situation where the individual cannot communicate.
3. POLICY:
It is VHA policy that ID bracelets and pendants must be available, upon appropriate request by Department of Veterans Affairs clinicians through Prosthetics Service, for veteran patients whose pertinent medical information would be valuable to emergency medical care providers.
4. ACTION
a.
Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) Director.
The VISN Director is responsible for ensuring that all facilities within the VISN are issuing ID bracelets or pendants, as appropriate.
This Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Directive provides policy regarding the provision of medical identification (ID) bracelets or pendants containing pertinent medical information (allergies or diagnoses) that would be valuable to emergency health care providers.
2. BACKGROUND:
Symptoms of common ailments can be misdiagnosed by responders to an emergent situation involving a person who is unable to communicate. Prompt and accurate diagnosis is essential to effective treatment. The use of an ID bracelet or pendant is a standard way to provide this information to health care providers in a situation where the individual cannot communicate.
3. POLICY:
It is VHA policy that ID bracelets and pendants must be available, upon appropriate request by Department of Veterans Affairs clinicians through Prosthetics Service, for veteran patients whose pertinent medical information would be valuable to emergency medical care providers.
4. ACTION
a.
Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) Director.
The VISN Director is responsible for ensuring that all facilities within the VISN are issuing ID bracelets or pendants, as appropriate.