myID Emergency Identification Bracelet

Pros Gives medical teams information about you via QR code or toll-free number. Includes medical conditions, allergies, medications, insurance information. Includes room for multiple emergency contacts. Information encrypted and can be updated at any time.

Cons Some data storage only available with $10 per year subscription. Bottom Line Unlike engraved medical identification tags, myID stores your information online so you have the ability to update your medical information and emergency contacts list at any time. It also means you can include a lot more data, if you choose.

By Jill Duffy Christmas Day, Joshua Taylor set out on an evening run near his home in northern Utah. He ran along the road, eyeing the two feet of snow on the ground. A car coming from the opposite direction lost control on the ice, swerved, and nearly hit him before he dove out of the way. It was a wake-up call for Taylor who had put off buying a medical ID bracelet to help hospital staff identify him if he were ever seriously injured while out running or surfing or doing any of the other outdoor sports he loves. So he and his teammates at Endevr (previously LifeStrength) created myID Emergency Identification Bracelet ($40, direct).

myID is different from traditional medical IDs because they are usually engraved with very little (but essential) information, such as your name and one serious medical condition you have. To buy a traditional medical ID, you have to pre-order it and write out exactly what will be engraved on it. myID, on the other hand, doesn't keep your identity physically on the bracelet itself, but rather links to it via a QR code (or toll-free number) which opens a Web page that anyone can unlock using the ID number and PIN printed on the back of the bracelet.

On this simple Web page, you can keep a wealth of information about you, such as all of your medical conditions, emergency contact names and phone numbers, insurance information, lists of medications you're taking, and much more.

The bracelet is made of a soft and pliable silicone with a metal tab that contains the staff of asclepius (also called "the star of life") on the front and the QR code and relevant numbers on the back. myID comes in turquoise with black accents, white with gray, or black with gray. The silicone band is adjustable (instructions for sizing it are included), and a metal clasp on the back helps it stay snugly and comfortably in place. Having worn it for a few days while bicycling, I can say it's more comfortable and less intrusive than my standard wristwatch.

When you buy the bracelet, you get access to this information that it links to all the time, meaning you can log in and update your info whenever something changes. You can also add as little or as much information you want, from your blood type to whether you're an organ donor.

The first year you have the myID bracelet, you can include as much information as you can cram into the Web form for free. After that, you have the option to pay $10 per year to keep your extensive data online, or pay nothing and keep just your basic data, which includes name, birth date, address, one piece of medical information, and one emergency contact.

myID begs the question: Will medical professionals know what to do when they see a QR code? The staff of asclepius printed on the front is a sign that all trained medical staff know indicates that important medical information is contained herein. And in any case, if they can't scan the QR code, there's always an 800 number  they can call instead. Wearing the myID, I'd feel rather confident that I would not sit unconscious in an ER for very long known only as "Jane Doe."

The other issue is that important medical information isn't simply displayed right on the device itself, which first responders would need—but there's actually an add-on that you can buy called a Condition Specific Side Slider for myID ($4.99) that lets you slip on small piece of metal that identifies the fact that you have, say, a pacemaker, or are prone to seizures, or have some other serious condition that needs to be taken into account immediately.

Active people really should keep identification on them at all times, but the reality is few do. myID makes it easy to buy a medical ID on an impulse, when you're thinking about it, whether online or in a retail store, and set up the relevant data later. I also really love that you can change your information at any time. For $40, the myID bracelet is a very good deal. I'm considering buying a few as gifts for my marathon-running family members.

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