Medical info
The medical info section of your profile is a quick-access record of the medical details someone responding to an emergency would want — blood group, severe allergies, chronic conditions, current medications, your emergency contact, and free-text notes. It's distinct from the deeper medical records (lab results, vaccinations, history) — this is the 30-second summary that goes on a medical-alert bracelet.
The summary supports:
- A printable / shareable medical-alert card.
- Display on your locked-screen widget (mobile, optional).
- Quick access for emergency-services responders if you share the URL.
What this section stores
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
bloodGroup | enum | A+, A-, B+, B-, AB+, AB-, O+, O-, unknown |
allergies | array of strings | "Penicillin", "Peanuts", "Latex" — free-text per entry |
severeAllergies | array | Allergies with anaphylactic risk, surfaced more prominently |
chronicConditions | array | "Type 2 diabetes", "Asthma", "Hypertension" |
currentMedications | array | Short list — drawn from the medications module |
emergencyContact | object | Name, relationship, phone, optional email |
emergencyContactSecondary | object (optional) | Backup contact |
bloodPressureBaseline | optional | Typical reading for paramedic context |
medicAlertNotes | string | Free text — anything else a responder should know |
organDonor | enum | Yes / no / undecided |
dnrStatus | enum (optional) | Do-not-resuscitate; legally needs paperwork, this is for personal reference |
Filling all fields takes 5 minutes; the value comes when you actually need them.
Why this exists separately from medical-records
The medical-records module holds lab results, vaccination history, surgical history — comprehensive but slow to read. The medical-info section is the "first responder summary" — what someone needs in the first 30 seconds of an emergency: blood group, what you're allergic to, who to call, your most relevant chronic conditions.
Both surfaces store overlapping data (blood group is in both); the medical-info section is the abstract.
Medical-alert card
Generate a printable medical-alert card from your medical-info page:
- A wallet-sized card (front: name + blood group + emergency contact; back: severe allergies + chronic conditions).
- Print at home (PDF export).
- Order via a third-party medical-alert service (LifeWell doesn't make jewelry; the card text translates to engraving requests).
Some users carry the physical card in their wallet; others rely on the phone-based options.
Lock-screen medical-info widget (mobile)
On mobile (Android, iOS in progress), you can opt to expose your medical-info as a lock-screen widget. The widget shows:
- Blood group.
- Severe allergies.
- Emergency contact name + phone.
- A "tap here for full info" link.
The widget is opt-in; default is off. Enabling it means anyone with physical access to your phone (without unlocking) can read this information. Trade-off: emergencies are more useful when the info is readable; theft scenarios are minor since the info is not a security secret.
Sharing your medical info externally
Three options:
- Print the medical-alert card (no internet required).
- QR code linking to a public read-only version of your medical info (the URL is unique and revocable).
- NFC tag (if you have a programmable tag) writing your medical-info URL to it for tap-to-read.
The QR / NFC versions are stripped down — they expose only the medical-alert essentials, not your full account.
Emergency-services responder context
If a paramedic or emergency-room doctor encounters your phone or wallet:
- The medical-alert card / QR / lock-screen widget surfaces blood group + allergies + contact.
- They can scan / call for more info.
- The data is read-only at the public URL; no LifeWell account access.
This isn't a substitute for emergency-services notification systems (which vary by country) — it's an information layer.
Updating medical info
You should update medical info when:
- A new severe allergy is discovered.
- You start or stop a chronic medication.
- Your emergency contact changes.
- A chronic condition develops or resolves.
- You change your organ-donor status.
LifeWell prompts a quarterly review with "is your medical info current?" — easy to dismiss; useful to occasionally take seriously.
What this is not
- Not legally binding. A DNR status here is not legally binding — you need notarised paperwork for that. The DNR field is for personal reference, not for emergency-care override.
- Not a substitute for a medical-alert bracelet. A wearable visual medical-alert is faster for first responders than digging through a wallet or phone.
- Not encrypted end-to-end. Standard Firebase encryption applies. For maximum privacy, you can leave fields empty.
- Not connected to emergency services. LifeWell doesn't auto-dial 911 / 999 / 112 / 100.
- Not auto-populated from medical records. You enter the summary yourself.
Honest framing
A LifeWell medical-info card is a useful addition to the layers a first responder might check. The most reliable medical-alert system remains the well-engraved physical bracelet or necklace. Use the LifeWell card as a supplement, not a replacement.
Privacy
- Standard Firebase encryption at rest.
- Public QR / NFC versions are minimised (only the essentials, no full account access).
- The URL is unique and revocable — generate a new one to invalidate the old.
- Lock-screen widget is opt-in.
Frequently asked
Should I list all my medications here? The medical-info summary is for the most relevant ones — anticoagulants, insulin, anti-seizure, beta-blockers. Full medication list belongs in the medications module.
What if my emergency contact changes their phone number? Update their LifeWell connection (which feeds this field) or edit the medical-info field directly. The card / QR reflects the change on next render.
Is the QR code secure? The URL is unique and not guessable. Anyone with the URL can read the medical info, so don't post it publicly. Revoke and regenerate if compromised.
What about HIPAA / GDPR sensitive-data category? LifeWell is a consumer self-tracker (not a covered entity). The data is yours; encryption at rest applies. For very sensitive medical conditions you don't want even Firebase to hold, leave the field empty.
Can I share the medical-info card with my partner / family member? Yes — partner / family-connections with sufficient data-sharing access automatically see your medical info per the data-sharing matrix.
Where to read next
- Medical records — full medical history (labs, vaccines, surgeries).
- Medications — current medication tracking.
- Blood donor — opt-in donor directory.
- Security — account-level security settings.
Last updated: 2026-05-11 Author: Ahsan Mahmood