# The Smartphone Feature That Could Save Your Life



## David Baxter PhD (Jun 26, 2018)

*The smartphone feature that could potentially save your life*
by Jesara Sinclair, _CBC News_
June 25, 2018

*P.E.I. paramedic says information is crucial in a crisis, but many people don't know about or use apps*

Island EMS advanced care paramedic Holly Noel says any clue is useful when paramedics are dealing with a medical emergency. (Shane Hennessey/CBC)Many  people now have a smartphone within their reach — but a P.E.I.  paramedic says many of them don't make use of built-in apps that could  help during a medical emergency.

iPhones as well as many Android  phones have built-in features that allow users to display information  like their name, age, medical conditions, allergies, medication and  emergency contacts when the phone is locked.

"All of these little  clues are part of a health-care crisis puzzle," said Holly Noel, an  advanced-care paramedic with Island EMS and the education director with  the Paramedic Association of P.E.I.

Noel said she does check a patient's phone for more information, but said many people don't know the feature exists.

"Any  clue that can help us that day is fantastic — and could potentially be  life-saving," she said. "Maybe they've had a fall and are unconscious  and we don't know that they're on a blood thinner, and that changes  things quite dramatically."

*How to set it up*
On an iPhone,  the feature is set up through the Health app. Click on medical ID and  fill out the information you want to have displayed.


_On Android phones running Nougat, emergency information can be set up in settings. On an iPhone, it's within the Health app. (Phinocio/Reddit/Apple)_

Android  phones that use the Nougat operating system also have the feature — go  to Settings and then Users & Accounts and click Emergency  Information. To add medical information, click Edit information. To add  an emergency contact, click Add contact.

If you have concerns  about privacy, read through the privacy policy on your phone, and don't  include any information you wouldn't want someone to see.

*How to find it*
If you come across someone in medical distress, check their phone.

If  it's an iPhone, you can see if their Medical ID is set up by tapping  their home button, choosing Emergency and then Medical ID.


_Emergency Information or Medical ID can be accessed from the lock screen on certain smartphones. (Phinocio/Reddit/Apple)_

On an Android running Nougat, tap Emergency, then tap Emergency Information twice.

*If your phone doesn't have the feature*
If  your phone isn't set up to display emergency information, it may still  have an option to display information on your lock screen — check your  phone's manual to see if and how this feature is set up.

And you  can also go to your contacts to add the term "ICE" — which stands for  "in case of emergency" — to your emergency contact.

Noel said being able to call someone who knows you is very helpful.

"Somebody  we can call and say, 'Do you know this person? They have you listed as  an emergency contact. Are you aware of any medical conditions?'" she  said. "And maybe it's something as simple as, 'Oh, yes, they have a  seizure disorder. Wait five or 10 minutes and they'll come out of it."


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