title: Commercial products that convey personal health information in emergencies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Describe commercially available products and services designed to convey personal health information in emergencies.
  
  
  METHODS
  The search engine Google®, supplemented by print ads, was used to identify companies and organizations that offer relevant products and services to the general market. Disease-specific, health system, and health plan-specific offerings were excluded. Vendor web sites were the primary sources of information, supplemented by telephone and e-mail queries to sales representatives. Perfect inter-rater agreement was achieved.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-nine unique vendors were identified. Eight sell engraved jewelry. Three offer an embossed card or pamphlet. Twelve supply USB drives with various features. Eleven support password-protected web sites. Five maintain national call centers. Available media differed markedly with respect to capacity and accessibility. Quoted prices ranged from a one-time expenditure of $3.50 to an annual fee of $200. Associated features and annual fees varied widely.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A wide range of products and services exist to help patients convey personal health information. Health care providers should be familiar with their features, so they can access the information in a disaster or emergency.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Vishnu C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Potini
authors.forename: Dilani N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Weerasuriya
authors.forename: Douglas W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Lowery-North
authors.forename: Arthur L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Kellermann
mesh_terms: D022126:Access to Information; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003132:Commerce; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D012066:Relief Work; D014481:United States