Dr. Sami Says….. I.C.E. it

By Dr. Sami Beg

A few years back, I was involved in an emergency response situation.  A seemingly healthy man collapsed.  No one around knew him, or knew what caused him to suddenly faint. 

Was he diabetic?  Did he have a stroke?  Was it a seizure?  Did he have a heart attack?  Who was he?  What was wrong?   

These were some of the questions that ran through our minds.  We tried to get answers from the crowd, but unfortunately no one was able to help. 

Thankfully, we were able to revive him.  The Emergency Medical Service personnel also got there in time to provide the necessary care and take him to the emergency room. 

It’s not every day that you get to be part of an emergency response situation.  We hope you will never have to be in a situation like that. 

But while we may promote prevention, events like this remind us to also talk about preparation.    

There are other simple ways you can be prepared for an unexpected health event. 

One simple measure you can take is to program your cell phone to include emergency contacts.  The initiative, called “I.C.E.” stands for “In Case of Emergency.”  It originated in Britain and is slowly gaining momentum in the U.S.

On your cell phone, include the acronym ICE – “in case of emergency” – in front of the names of the people you want to designate as emergency contacts.  ICE should show up alphabetically under “I.”

For example, you can program “ICE 1 – John,” “ICE 2 – Jane” in order of preference for whom to call first in case of an emergency.  Similarly, you can designate the contacts as: “ICE Mom,” “ICE Dad,”  “ICE Husband,” “ICE Wife” followed by their names.

The idea is to provide contact information for people who you want to be informed in case something happens to you.   These contacts should be people who can help provide information about you, for example, if you are a diabetic or have a history of heart problems.  Other contacts can include those you want to be informed about what happened.  Make sure the designated person knows your basic medical history and is aware that he or she is listed as your emergency contact.   

Because cell phones have become almost universal communication tools, this small initiative adds further value.  While there’s always a small chance that such information may be abused by someone, the potential good this simple initiative can have means we shouldn’t hesitate to use it.  

So please “I.C.E.” your cell phones.  Program at least five ICE Contacts into your phone.  If you have children, have them “ICE in” you as one of their contacts.

In addition, please share this idea with five other people.  Forward this e-newsletter or talk to them about transforming their cell phones into powerful communication tools for those unexpected emergencies.
 

-- Dr. Sami

Dr. Sami Beg is the Associate Medical Director of U.S. Preventive Medicine and one of the physicians at The Prevention Plan dedicated to helping members take some long strides toward “more good years.”