What to put in a wallet emergency card (and why most people don't have one)

If you collapsed in a public place right now, what would a paramedic or a stranger learn from your wallet? They'd know your name from your ID. They might know your face from a photo. That's it. They wouldn't know your blood type, your allergies, your medications, or who to call.

A wallet emergency card changes that. It's a credit-card-sized piece of information that lives behind your ID, costs nothing to make, and could change the outcome of an emergency. It tells first responders what they need to know before you're able to tell them yourself.

What to include

The card has to be small enough to carry, so be selective. The goal is information a first responder can act on — not a medical file, not your full history. If it can't fit on a card, it won't get carried.

Essential:

• Full name and date of birth — helps match you to medical records in the system
• Blood type — O negative can be given to anyone; other types matter in transfusions and trauma situations. If you don't know yours, a simple test will tell you.
• Known allergies — especially medication allergies. Penicillin, aspirin, NSAIDs, and contrast dye are the most clinically relevant. A paramedic who knows about a penicillin allergy before starting treatment is in a better position than one who finds out after.
• Current medications — generic name and dose. "Warfarin 5mg daily" is information a paramedic can act on immediately. "My blood thinner" is not. If you take multiple medications, list them all.
• Two emergency contacts — name, relationship, mobile number. Put the most reachable person first. Include a second contact in case the first is unavailable.
• GP name and phone number — useful if you're admitted to a hospital that needs to request your medical history

Optional (if space allows):

• Health insurance policy number
• Any condition that affects treatment: diabetes, epilepsy, pacemaker fitted, history of anaphylaxis

What NOT to include

• Account numbers, PINs, or passwords — the card may be lost or stolen
• Passport number
• Your home address — again, the card may not stay in your hands

The card is not a security document. It exists to be readable by a stranger in an emergency. Only put on it what you'd be comfortable with a stranger reading.

How to actually make one

The printable template fits two cards per sheet. Print on regular paper, cut out, fold once — it sits behind your driving licence in a card slot. For something more durable: print on card stock, or laminate it after filling in. Either approach takes ten minutes.

Replace it whenever your medications change. "Whenever your medications change" is the only maintenance this requires. If you haven't changed medications in two years, your card is still current. If your GP adjusts a dosage or adds a prescription, reprint it that week.

The ICE contact on your phone

Most smartphones let you set a medical ID accessible from the lock screen without unlocking the phone. On iPhone: Health app, Medical ID, enable "Show When Locked." On Android: settings vary by manufacturer, but the option exists on most current devices.

Set this up too. It complements the card rather than replacing it. Paramedics and emergency room staff know to check for a lock-screen medical ID. Strangers often don't know it exists, and in a situation where someone without medical training is first on the scene, the physical card in your wallet is more likely to be found and read than a phone setting they'd have to know to look for.

Both together is the right answer. The card is for strangers and first responders who find you. The phone medical ID is for paramedics and hospital staff who know to look.

Why most people don't have one

It requires knowing your own blood type — many people don't. It requires knowing the generic names of your medications — most people know brand names only and would have to look up the generic. And it requires sitting down for ten minutes to actually fill it in and print it.

None of those things is hard. None of them feels urgent until it is.

The card doesn't protect you while it sits on your to-do list. It protects you the day after you make it, and every day after that.