In Case of Emergency (ICE)

Details

• Personal Author:
  Vance NK
• Description:
  In case of emergency (ICE) is a program that enables first responders, such as paramedics, firefighters, and police officers, as well as hospital personnel, to contact the next of kin of the owner of a mobile phone to obtain important medical or support information (the phone must be unlocked and working). The program encourages people to enter emergency contacts in their mobile phone address book under the name "ICE". Alternatively, a person can list multiple emergency contacts as "ICE1", "ICE2", etc. This naming convention isn't only used by first responders, but may be utilized by employers and family members when necessary. Nearly 200,000 people die each year due to misdiagnosis or medical error- a direct result of lack of information regarding medical history and medical conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that, over one year, 1.6 million emergency room patients could not provide contact information because they were incapacitated. In 44 states, hospitals have no legal obligation to call your next of kin or emergency contact if you arrive at the hospital unconscious or physically unable to speak for yourself or give informed consent. Countless families nationwide have horror stories of the anguish they suffered when discovering that their loved ones were in an accident or critically injured without the hospital notifying them for hours, days or even weeks; many times not until their loved one had already passed away. Millions of Americans leave their home each day without any identification, but many carry a cell phone. Agriculture, forestry and fishing are hazardous industries. People may work in rural, hard to access areas; which mean emergency medical attention may be delayed. Workers may be first on the scene and may not know the victim's medical history. It is a good idea to inform all workers where to locate the necessary health and family information in their cell phones. If workers don't own a cell phone then an ICE flipbook may be useful for managers to keep and maintain on work sites. An ICE flipbook is where a second ICE card is kept in case the worker doesn't have theirs on them. ICE is a very simple but very useful tool that could speed up the delivery of medical attention. The CDC estimated the emergency response to be about FIVE minutes. Seconds count! How to ICE your Phone: Step 1: CHOOSE a responsible person to be your In Case of Emergency (ICE) Contact. Record their contact information. Step 2: INFORM your ICE Contact that you have chosen them as your designated contact and provide them with information that may affect your treatment. Remember "MAD". Medicines -List all current medications you are taking, including herbal and organic supplements because they can and do interact with some medications.; Allergies - List all known allergies, especially to medications, but also to foods.; Doctors - Include the names and phone numbers of doctors or other medical providers responsible for your regular care. Step 3: ADD this contact as a new entry, with their phone number, in your mobile phone address book under the heading "ICE". Example: ICE-William or ICE-Dad. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Disaster Planning Emergencies Emergency Responders Health Promotion Occupational Health Public Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Cell Phones Emergency Preparedness First Responders Health Promotion Medical Records Public Health Safety Education
• Publisher:
  The Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention, and Education
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Newsletter
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053358
• Citation:
  Monthly Safety Blast. Tyler, TX: The Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention, and Education, 2015 May; :website
• Email:
  agcenter@uthct.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Texas Health Center at Tyler
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Monthly Safety Blast
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fb06bbde7aad422af08e274371d2fc340a3555a748768de78829130329eea8212e436870f190b702260f3181f450979f99f9a6f6e9a5f2e2e89f55191b971141
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216134/cdc_216134_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 205.02 KB ]