Medical Necklace – Life Saving Jewelry
Posted by in Uncategorized on July 19, 2011
A medical necklace speaks for you in case of an emergency where you are unable to talk. The information written on the alert tag warns of any health condition that you may have. This information could save your life. Medical necklaces are also called alert necklaces, medical pendants, medical tags, elderly alert or medical alert.
A medical ID is one of the first things the paramedics will check for. Not only do first responders see this information, emergency room workers will also look for a medical ID tag. Prevent misdiagnosis by wearing your health emergency information and keeping it up to date.
If you have one of the following conditions consider wearing a medical ID. Health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, drug allergies, Alzheimer’s, asthma, breathing disorders, COPD, hearing or seeing impaired, hypertension, prescription medications, special needs children or cancer patients should wear a medical alert necklace.
List the medicines that you are taking that might have an interaction with other medicines. These medicines include analgesics, antianginals, antiarrhythmics, anticoagulants, anticonvulsants, antihistamines, decongestants, antihypertensives, beta blockers, chemotherapy agents and steroids. Ask your doctor if he feels you need to list your medication on a medical necklace.
With the event of technology you can carry your medical information on a USB device. This device easily slips into the USB port of your computer to provide access to your medical history. Many 911 responders across the country have the ability to read these USB devices. The information is easy to update as your medications or your medical condition changes. Simply plug the USB device into a computer and input your information.
The medical necklace helps identify people who may wander because of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Anyone who has a tendency to wander and does not remember where they live should wear an elderly alert tag.
Things to engrave on a medical necklace include your prescription medications, diseases or chronic illnesses and life threatening allergies. Include the name and phone number for an emergency contact person. Also include your name.
Besides wearing an ID tag carry a medical wallet identification card with you at all times.
In the past medical ID’s were just plain metal tags that were engraved. Now these tags come in stylish jewelry settings. So there is no need to go without a medical alert tag. You can design and build a tag that fits your lifestyle. Choose several styles of medical necklaces to wear for different occasions. Wear your ID necklace all the time. Remember that wearing a medical necklace could save your life.
Medication Safety For Babies And Small Children
Posted by in Uncategorized on July 19, 2011
Medications, both prescription and over-the-counter (OTC), are wonderful, make our lives better and are often life-saving. But to babies, toddlers and young children at least under the age of 12, medications can be deadly. Unless a drug or supplement is specifically made for young children, medications are designed primarily for adults. Prescription medications in particular are compounded and prescribed for specific adult maladies and adult body weights. Excessive drug strength, to say nothing of an overdose, can cause serious problems for an adult, so you can imagine how deadly such medications can be for babies, toddlers and young children.
Begin by buying and using only the OTC and the prescription medications that are recommended by your family doctor or pediatrician. Be sure to use these medications as specifically directed by your physician. Also listen carefully when your pharmacist tells you how to use the drug, what the side effects can be and what drug interactions may occur. Pharmacists are often more knowledgeable about drugs and their interactions than physicians. Most use a computer program to check for any interactions. There are just too many pharmaceuticals available to remember all the potential exposures. Be sure that the pharmacy uses child-proof caps on all bottles.
All medications should be stored ideally in a locked cabinet. At the very least, medications, supplements and minor malady controls, such as OTC pain controls, antacids and diarrhea controls, should be kept well out of the grasp of toddlers and small children. Small lock boxes are available for home and travel use. Children are naturally curious, couple this with their ability to climb, and you can see the need to store medications out of their reach.
Be sure to turn on the light when administering any type of medication to be sure that you have the right material in the proper strength and dosage. Many prescription containers look alike, but we can’t afford to take a chance where a child’s safety is concerned. It’s best not to take your medications in front of your children; they tend to mimic what they see parents, grandparents and caregivers do. Don’t ever call any medication “candy.” Doing so can encourage a child to take several of those shiny pills believing that they are eating candy.
Make sure you review everything in your medicine cabinet periodically. Throw out any medications that are out of date. Expired drugs may well have a reduced potency and may not be as effective. Keep all medications in their original bottles or other packaging. If any are not, get rid of them. Old prescriptions can be placed in the garbage, but an even better option is through the pharmacy that sold them originally if they have a program for disposal.
In short, use the correct medicine in the proper way as set by your doctor. Keep medications properly labeled and stored, be sure they are not out of date, and keep them out of the reach of young children. Set the right example for your kids by using medications safely. A little attention to detail can save a child’s life.
Medical Device Marketing, Social Media, and the FDA
Posted by in Uncategorized on July 19, 2011
Apparently, the FDA will soon reveal their rules and regs regarding medical device marketing, the Internet, and social media.
Reports that have offered a sneak-peek as to what the “new” FDA guidelines might look like reveal an important finding…
The FDA doesn’t really “get” social media.
Two reasons.
The first is based on a main concern that the FDA has regarding how medical device technology marketers and pharmaceutical companies will use social media.
The second is based on the sheer fact that they are trying to regulate (i.e. “control”) it.
Let’s start with reason number One.
The FDA is concerned that medical device and pharma will “use social media to market their products.” To which most people and businesses already thoroughly engaged in the social media space would reply: “Good luck with that.”
Social media – and by this I mean blogs, Twitter feeds, Facebook fan pages, and the like – is not an effective channel in which to sell your wares.
So what’s all the hype about, you ask? Why all the fuss over social media? Because it’s an excellent communication channel for brand awareness, demonstrating thought-leadership, and establishing trusted-advisor status – all things that today’s prospects, be they medical device buyers, surgeons, manufacturers or consumers, care about.
If the FDA seriously believes that medical device marketers will use Twitter to tweet about their latest and greatest product… or use a Facebook business or fan page to tout their company or sell their innovation… or fill their medical device company’s blog with product-related press releases, facts, stats, data, and company-centric information…
… then I challenge the FDA to let them do just that. Because if they do, medical device marketers will fail miserably at social media. Period.
The businesses and people who experience success engaging in the social media space do NOT push their products. In fact, they mention their company, products and services very little – if at all.
What they do do is offer relevant, insightful, compelling, contagious content that is targeted to what their prospect audience cares about.
And they do that consistently.
Let’s move on to reason number Two…
While some medical device marketers are waiting with bated breath for the FDA social media guidelines to come out, the reality is that no one, not even the ol’ FDA, can control social media.
The concept of “regulating” it goes against the very nature of what social media is all about. And, to an extent, the FDA knows this. This is why it has taken years for them to try to figure out how to legally regulate it without coming across like communist China.
One of the beautiful aspects of social media is that these new communication channels now offer marketing the opportunity to step into conversations never before available.
But as mentioned in reason number One, they should only do so to share in the discussion by offering thought-leadership – NOT to try to control it.
Trying to control medical device marketers so that they can control their social media interactions is a futile effort, in my humble opinion.
This is mainly because marketing lost the ability to control the conversation years ago. But social media can certainly help medical device marketers shape those dialogues by allowing them to show up in contexts that are relevant to their prospects.
Notice I said, shape. Not control.
The social media space also gives marketers the ability to really listen to their prospects and customers and offer information and content that is targeted and relevant to them and what they care about.
I appreciate that this concept may rattle some “traditional” medical device marketers – and I get it. The FDA rules (and reprimands) with a mighty hand. But don’t let that be the reason your medical device company dwells in the marketing dark ages.
Let’s say your medical device company designs, manufactures, and distributes stents…
An example of a wise and savvy social media marketing move would be to offer blog content that relates to:
* Angioplasty
* Heart health
* How the heart works
* Interviews with cardiologist or cardiothoracic surgeon
* How fitness and healthy eating can reduce plaque build-up inside the coronary arteries
* Heart attack warning signs
* The clinical trials process
* Drug-eluting vs. resorbable stents…
…and a plethora of other related topics that your intended target audience might care about.
Notice… there’s no mention of your company or your medical device.
Same thing with Tweets. Tweeting your company’s content-specific blog articles will attract your intended target audience.
Effectively re-tweeting articles, insights and updates indirectly (and on occasion, but very carefully, directly) related to your medical technology is also important.
And we haven’t even mentioned LinkedIn, Facebook, and a variety of other social media channels available to strategic, results-driven medical device marketers.
It would seem to me that as long as your original content and information is worded in compliance with already-established FDA communication guidelines – like those for print, and other conventional media-that should be adequate enough.
Because where that content spreads from there… not even the FDA can control.
Lenox Powell is a freelance copywriter for results-driven marketers in the medical device technology industry. She helps these innovative B2B companies improve volume and quality of prospects, shorten sales cycles, and enhance customer lifetime value through strategic and extremely well-targeted copy.