Shownotes
In this new episode of The Hairy Chin Podcast, I'm talking about what happens when you can't communicate for yourself in a medical setting. And while that's a scary thought, this episode isn't here to scare you, it's here to prepare you.
One of the tools I walk you through is simple, often overlooked, and actually sitting in your phone right now. I'm talking about the Medical ID. It takes less than five minutes to set up, and in an emergency, it can share critical health information - from your phone's lock screen.
I also mention in this episode that the Medical ID is not a perfect system, and it's not the only way to advocate for yourself. I talk through the different layers of advocacy available to you and your loved ones in those important moments.
We have talked this season about how advocacy is many things, including being prepared. These small steps can make mighty differences.
You can find the Medical ID cheat sheet link below with step-by-step instructions for set up, including what information matters and what doesn't. There is also a printable version of a Medical ID available.
Timestamps:
[00:00:46] Inspiration from The Pitt TV Show
[00:01:20] My Life Threatening Allergy to Morphine
[00:1:42] How Do You Advocate If You Can't Speak?
[00:02:00] What Is the Medical ID and Why It's Not A Perfect Tool
[00:03:00] Layers of Advocacy: Jewelry, Lions Message in a Bottle, Vial of Life and a Printable Card
[00:04:45] What a Medical ID Is and How It Works
[00:05:09] Your Responsibility to Update Your ID
[00:05:46] What to Include and Leave Out in Your Medical ID
[00:06:50] Privacy, Lock Screen Visibility, and What You Control
[00:07:22] How to Set Up Your Medical ID on iPhone and Important Settings
Resources from this episode:
The Medical ID Cheat Sheet Free Download
Lions "Message in a Bottle" (UK)
More Free Cheat Sheet Downloads from The Hairy Chin:
How To Describe Your Pain Cheat Sheet from episode "How to Describe Pain So Your Doctor Takes You Seriously"
The One Page Health Summary Cheat Sheet from episode “The One Page That Changes Every Dr. Appointment”
How To Describe Your Symptoms Cheat Sheet from episode "Struggling To Explain Symptoms To Your Doctor?"
Where Else to Find The Hairy Chin:
Disclaimer: The Hairy Chin does not provide medical advice. All content is for informational purposes only. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for personal medical concerns.
Transcripts
Hi, and welcome back. So we’ve been talking a lot in the last few episodes about communication. Describing your symptoms, describing your pain, making sure you’re heard. But there’s something we haven’t talked about yet — and that’s what happens if you can’t communicate.
I know that’s a scary thought. And I want to be really clear — this is not meant to scare you. This is meant to show you that there are ways to advocate for yourself even when you can’t do it in the moment. Because your information can advocate for you.
What I’m talking about is the Medical ID. It’s a less than five minute setup on your phone, and if there’s ever an emergency — if you can’t speak, if you’re unconscious, if you’re in crisis — a first responder, an ER doctor, your family, whoever is with you, they’ll have access to your medical information right there.
I’m going to walk you through how to set it up on an iPhone. Android is very similar and I’ll give you the broad strokes on that too. I’ll also tell you what information actually matters to include, and why. And I do want to spend a minute on data privacy — because yes, this is visible on a locked screen, and I know some of you are going to have feelings about that. We’re going to talk about what to put in, what to leave out, and how to be smart about it.
And as always, there’s a downloadable PDF so you can follow along or come back to it later.
This is a small one. But it’s mighty. Let’s get into it.
So first, let me just explain what a Medical ID actually is, because a lot of people have no idea this even exists on their phone.
Your Medical ID is basically a digital snapshot of your most important health information. It lives in the Health app on your iPhone and it’s accessible from your lock screen — meaning someone doesn’t need your passcode to see it. That’s the whole point. In an emergency, when seconds matter, whoever is with you can pull up your medical information without needing access to your phone.
We’re talking things like your blood type, your allergies, your medications, any conditions someone would need to know about in a crisis. And you can also add an emergency contact — so if something happens to you, the people who love you get notified.
It’s not a new feature. It’s been sitting in your phone this whole time. Most people just don’t know it’s there, or they’ve never taken the five minutes to fill it out. That’s what we’re doing today.
Here’s the thing. We talk a lot on this show about advocating for yourself in the room — being heard, being taken seriously, making sure your information is accurate and complete. But women are statistically more likely to have their symptoms minimized in an emergency setting. More likely to wait longer. More likely to be misdiagnosed.
And a lot of that comes down to information gaps. If you can’t speak for yourself in that moment, someone is making decisions about your care based on what they can see and what they can assume. That’s not good enough.
Your Medical ID closes that gap. Your allergies, your medications, your conditions — that information changes how someone treats you. It can prevent a dangerous drug interaction. It can flag a condition that changes everything about how they approach your care. It can save your life.
This is advocacy when you’re not in the room. Or when you’re in the room but you can’t speak. It matters. And it matters especially for us.
So let’s walk through what’s actually in there, in the order you’ll see it on your phone.
Your name. Simple, but important — this confirms whose information this is.
Your age — and just so you know, it asks for your birthday but what shows up is your age. So don’t worry, nobody’s getting your full date of birth.
Your language — if English isn’t your first language, or if there’s another language you’re more comfortable communicating in, put it in. This matters more than people think.
Organ donor — yes or no. This is your call entirely, but it’s worth having it documented so your wishes are known.
Your medications — prescription medications only. If it was prescribed by a doctor, it goes in. That’s your line.
Your allergies — and be specific about the reaction. There’s a big difference between “I get a rash” and “my throat closes.” That detail changes how someone treats you in an emergency.
Your emergency contact — at least one person who knows your history and can speak for you if you can’t.
Your conditions — anything chronic, anything ongoing, anything relevant in a crisis.
Additional information — this is where your height, weight, and blood type live.
And finally, notes — use this field. This is where anything that doesn’t fit neatly elsewhere goes. A pacemaker. A pregnancy. A history of anaphylaxis. If it matters, put it here.
This is important to understand. Your Medical ID is not your medical history. It’s not a summary of everything you’ve ever been through. It’s designed for a fast moving emergency situation where someone needs to scan it in seconds and get the most critical information immediately. That’s it.
So keep it lean. Keep it relevant. If it wouldn’t matter in an ER in the first five minutes, it probably doesn’t belong here.
And because it’s visible on a locked screen, be smart about what you include. No full date of birth. No address. No insurance or financial information. Nothing that identifies where you live or work.
Your Medical ID is your fast facts. The information that helps someone help you when every second counts. That’s the job it’s doing.
So I want to address something because I know some of you are already thinking it. This is visible on your locked screen. Anyone who picks up your phone can see it. And I get it — that might feel uncomfortable.
But here’s the reframe. That visibility is the feature, not the flaw. In an emergency, a first responder doesn’t have time to unlock your phone. They need that information fast and they need it now. That’s exactly why it works the way it does.
That said, you get to decide what goes in. Nobody is forcing you to include everything. If there’s something you’re not comfortable having visible, leave it out. This is your information and you are in control of what you share.
The question to ask yourself is this — is the risk of someone seeing this information greater than the risk of a first responder not having it when it counts? For most of us, the answer is pretty clear.
This is going to take you less than five minutes. I promise.
Open your Health app. It’s the white app with the pink heart. It came with your phone.
Tap your profile picture in the top right corner.
Tap Medical ID.
Tap Edit in the top right corner.
Now just work your way down and fill in your information. Name, age, language, organ donor status, medications, allergies and reactions, emergency contacts, conditions, additional information, and your notes field.
There’s one thing I really want you to pay attention to before you hit save. At the top there’s a toggle that says Show When Locked. Make sure that is turned on. That is the whole point. If it’s not toggled on, none of this is accessible in an emergency. So please don’t skip that step.
When you’re done, hit Done in the top right corner. That’s it. You’re set up.
And for my Android users — go to your Settings, search for Emergency Information or Emergency SOS. It lives in slightly different places depending on your phone but it’s there. The concept is identical. Fill it out the same way.
The downloadable PDF walks through every single step with screenshots so you can follow along or hand it to someone who needs help setting it up. Link is in the show notes.
That’s it. That’s your Medical ID. Five minutes. Done. And now if anything ever happens — you’re covered. Your information is there, it’s working for you, and it’s advocating for you even when you can’t do it yourself.
This is one of those small things that feels almost too simple to matter. But it does. It really does. And I hope you take the time to do it today, not later, not when you get around to it. Today.
As always the PDF is in the show notes. Download it, print it out, use it.
Now — next week. We’ve talked a lot about communication. About speaking up, being heard, making sure your voice is in the room. But there’s another time when you’re not quite in control of what’s happening in your body, and that’s when you’re asleep. And there is so much going on when we sleep that affects our health in ways most of us don’t even realize.
I’m sitting down with sleep expert and specialist Dr. Allison Kole, and it is a really great conversation. She gets into what she needs to know about you to actually help you when it comes to sleep. You’re not going to want to miss it.
Thank you so much for being here. And if you haven’t already, please hit that follow button so you never miss an episode. I’ll see you next week.
