Tattoos being used for medical alerts

There's a tattoo trend surfacing — one that could save lives.
Increasing numbers of people who have serious medical conditions, such as diabetes, are turning to tattooing to identify themselves on the chance a health emergency leaves them unable to communicate, says Saleh Aldasouqi, a diabetes expert from Cape Girardeau, Mo., who will present a report on the topic Friday in Houston at the annual meeting of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.
Tattoos being used for medical alerts - USATODAY.com

This is a longish article, but interesting. I think it's a good idea.

Whenever I am on the ambulance, I make sure to check the fridge for a "Vial Of Life" and check the patient for tattoos on the wrists or arms, which in the unconscious patient can serve as part of your SAMPLE assessment. Moreover, patients are now being advised by their physicians and pharmacists to carry a list of all medications they are taking in their bag and to keep one copy on the fridge for EMS. Any of you who have worked EMS will know what a job it is trying to find out what a patient is taking when they are drifting in and out of consciousness.

Or in the ER, when EMS hands you a grocery bag full of all the meds they could find at the house, dating back to the 1980's.... People save EVERYTHING!

I dont have enough fingers to count the amount of times that a patient's family has handed me 2 or 3 Kroger's bags full of Metoprolol, Lasix, 500 year old Nitroglycerin, Xanax, dramamine, tylenol, you name it.

It almost makes me think twice about going to medical school. +