UKH

When MR arrives at an incident where the casualty is unresponsive or otherwise uncommunicative, what steps are taken to identify the victim and any possible underlying medical issues they may have?  And do non-MR health professionals (e.g. paramedics) do anything similar in more accessible (urban) environments?

Is a search made of the person or their rucksack for medical ID bracelets or wallets that might contain the required info?

What would MR recommend for those undertaking solo adventures to carry to help their response?

I've reached the point where I feel the need to improve my chances of survival if I ever find myself needing help!

Cheers, A.

Looking for bracelets, tags on a necklace, asthma inhalers etc.. is routine. If relevant then a search of a rucksack lid isn't unheard of, as it might yield additional clues if they are diabetic etc.. and it's the most common place a walker or camper would keep medication, not in their pockets. If you do this, then you're already stacking the odds in your favour. 

I think most smart phones allow you to add emergency information

When I walk/run/open water swim on my own I have one of these on my wrist, bright red strap:

https://iceid.co.uk/all-products/ice-id-pro-bracelet/

I often don’t have a smartphone on me when walking, or any phone at all when running locally, so this seemed to make the most sense, has two sets of contact details and a note about a medical allergy I have, got it about 8 years ago and has lasted well 

I knew someone whom had a medical condition. In addition to a necklace, and details in his lid pocket. He always brought waterproofs with a side shoulder pocket normally used for ski passes ect. He then wrote in permanent pen on the outside of the pocket  ‘Medic Alert’ and kept a laminated card inside with details.

His reasoning was if the weather was foul enough any necklace or bracelet may be buried under clothing, and the pocket with external labelling gave another chance.

I'm not in an MR team, but I've done my fair share of outdoor first aid courses.  Checking for bracelets and necklaces has always been drilled as an early part of the casualty assessment (don't think I've ever been told to check the lid of the rucksack though).  It's clearly sensible to make them as obvious and easily findable as you can.

I'm on the Ogwen team and a MREW casualty care certificate holder, but not an HCP in any way. I'm just speaking personally here and not on behalf of MR.

Certainly any medi alert bracelets/pendents would be picked up on during a primary survey. If multiple team members were available at an incident and some weren't hands on dealing with the casualty, then someone would look through a bag for ID and any obvious drugs etc to help give us a clue as to what might have happened eg. the obvious diagnostic tools a diabetic might carry. 

As to the post suggesting that an alert bracelet might be missed - I think it's unlikely if a well trained first aider is doing their job properly. 

If we were called to a single unresponsive casualty (perhaps found by another walker etc) then we would be looking at getting them to a hospital as soon as possible. 

If you've got a medical condition which means you might end up in this scenario then something to alert us to this would be beneficial. Other than that, leave a detailed route plan and late back protocol with a friend/relative. 

Another MR Cas carer here. I would echo LucaC, medical alert bracelets or necklaces would probably be picked up in a primary survey and almost certainly in a secondary survey. I certainly know of situation where we have looked in people's bags, or at their phone for clues.

However, I would add that unless you have some very obscure medical condition that renders you unresponsive it likely will make little difference to your treatment. For things like diabetes, we would check sugar levels and treat them as we find them. For more complex things it often doesn't matter that much what their specific condition is, what they need is a hospital.  Ultimately we are not in the business of full diagnosis, for unresponsive patients, stabilise and evacuate is much more our MO.

Take care if checking for neck or wrist medicalert items, or handbags, etc. if you find a casualty in the street; you may be accused of trying to steal jewellery or valuables... Especially in late evening with pissed f**kwits around.

Has this actually happened to you or someone you know???

I don't have any specific medical conditions, but I do often go into the hills or trail running on my own. My partner works offshore, which means that if something happens to me while he's away, it may not be obvious who to contact. For me, it isn't the case that someone might need to know that I'm asthmatic or diabetic - it's more that I would hate someone to find me and have no idea who I am or who to contact.

For that reason, I do wear a bracelet when I'm out on my own. It simply states my name, the year of my birth (in case my age is relevant for something),  two emergency contacts, and for the worst of worst scenarios, an organ donation declaration. I have a couple of different tags that I swap depending on who my emergency contacts are that day.

I've never had to use it, so no idea if that would actually be helpful to anyone or not...

Note that I do also use late back protocols, but sometimes when my options are limited I don't necessarily trust that the person I've spoken to would actually know what to do.  

My bracelet comes from here: https://www.roadid.com/ and is very similar to the ice id that someone else linked to above.

Primary survey to identify immediately life threatening conditions

Secondary survey to identify further information as necessary

Primary survey : usually follows Drsabc protocol or similar. 

Secondary survey. SAMPLE + - head to toe survey . Head to toe survey is where an unresponsive patient may be searched and medical id info found. Either on person or potentially in possessions.