UniCare Medical Center introduces region's first USB medical alert, ID and emergency information device

A user-friendly program created by UniCare will allow patients to enter their personal details, emergency contacts, details of insurance provider, serious medical conditions and allergies by simply plugging in their Careid device to a USB slot on their computer. They can also store details of their past medical history, medicines they're currently taking or have taken in the past, dates and results of recent medical tests.

For people with diabetes and high blood pressure, the device also comes with a program to maintain a log of their glucose and blood pressure readings.

"After investigating existing methods and noticing that most medical bracelets or tags carried minimal information, the team at UniCare decided to turn to technology to develop a simple, user-friendly method to ensure a patient's medical information is always readily available," said Dr. Rajkumar, Director, UniCare.

"In an emergency, medical personnel have just seconds to diagnose a patient's needs and begin lifesaving procedures. Often patients themselves are incapacitated and cannot communicate their special needs. With Careid any emergency service, ambulance, police or rescue squad with a laptop computer can now have instant access to all one's vital health information---pre-existing conditions, medications and dosages, thereby avoiding dangerous duplication of medications and other kinds of errors associated with incomplete information," he added.

Careid devices are now available at UniCare Medical Center, located on the ground floor of BurJuman, next to Dome Café and open from 8.30 am to 9.00 pm daily. The clinic is affiliated with all major local and international insurance companies and provides preventive health screening at reasonable rates. Patients' convenience is given high priority, with UniCare's provision of electronic medical records that can be accessed from any part of the world, online appointment booking and automatic appointment reminders. A 24-hour answering service is also in the works - this will be available to registered patients who will have contact access to professional medical advice in case of emergencies.