You can store basic information about your health on the iPhone. In an emergency, this information can be quickly retrieved by bystanders.
Emergency contact person
Apple has created the Health app for iPhones. The app allows users to create a Medical ID. The user fills in information about himself, such as name and date of birth, and enters any medical conditions, allergies and medication use. Furthermore, emergency contacts can be filled in. This information can be easily retrieved in emergency situations.
Fill in the Medical ID
Set up the Medical ID on an iPhone with iOS 13 or later:
- Open the app Health.
- When prompted, choose whether to share information about the app with Apple.
- If necessary, tap Next one.
- Enter your information.
- Tap on Ready.
- Scroll down and under ‘Update your medical ID’ tap To work.
- Enter personal information such as date of birth, illnesses, allergies, medications and blood type.
- Under ‘SOS Contacts’, tap Add SOS Contact.
- Tap the person to contact when you are in need, such as your spouse or child. Then indicate what the relationship is with him/her.
- Make sure Show when locked is on. Tap the slider behind it so that it turns green. Bystanders or rescuers can access your information in an emergency.
- Finally, at the top right, tap Ready.
Note: Keep the information short and to the point. For example, it is irrelevant that you cannot tolerate spicy food. Only fill in matters that are important to care providers. Whether you are a heart patient or have diabetes, for example. You can of course also add your general practitioner or medical specialist to contacts.
Changing the Medical ID
Do you want to change information in the future, such as changing a contact person? Do that as follows:
- Open the Health app.
- Tap the round doll icon, a round icon with initials, or the round profile picture at the top right.
- Tap on Medical ID.
- Tap on Change.
- Adjust the desired information.
- Tap on Ready.
How can the Medical ID be called up in case of an emergency?
- Activate the iPhone without unlocking it.
- Tap the Home button or on an iPhone X or later, swipe the screen from bottom to top.
- Tap at the bottom left Emergency.
- Tap at the bottom left Medical ID.
All the information you entered can now be consulted and the entered contacts can be called without further unlocking the phone. In this way, rescuers or bystanders can quickly pass on information about your health to medical specialists.
What about my privacy?
The information you enter cannot be viewed in any other way or processed by other apps. But if others have your iPhone in their hands, they can easily see the medical information you entered.
What is the link with the electronic patient record?
That link is not there. The Medical ID was created by Apple. There is no official medical quality mark and there are no links with registration systems or anything like that. So the information resides solely on your iPhone and stays there. Therefore, you should also see the Medical ID as a useful information sheet in the event of an emergency.