Diabetic bracelets are an important piece of jewelry for a diabetic patient. This small piece of jewelry doubles up as a vital medical alert bracelet in cases of emergencies like a hypoglycemic episode or accidents.

What are Diabetic Bracelets and how do they help?

Diabetic bracelets are medical ID bracelets made in silver, hypo-allergenic stainless steel or even plastic. The material used can be personalized according to the wearer’s choice.

Diabetic Bracelets - How Jewelry Can Save Lives

Diabetic Bracelets - How Jewelry Can Save Lives

These bracelets are clearly engraved with detailed and relevant information pertaining to the type of diabetes (Type1 or Type 2), type of medication and dosage of medication being used.

In case of a medical emergency like fainting due to hypoglycemia or an accident leading to unconsciousness, and the diabetic patient is unaccompanied by family or friends; these diabetic bracelets come in as vital tools of communication to the medical professionals treating these patients.

These diabetic bracelets have the information either etched in or engraved using laser rays, making it clear and easy for the attending medical professionals to read the details and act accordingly.

Types of Diabetic Bracelets

These bracelets can be customized according to personal preferences and choices. There are diabetic bracelets that are available for both adults and kids alike. These bracelets can be ordered to be created with any kind of material that you prefer.

The usual choice is 304 hypo-allergenic stainless steel or 316 L surgical stainless steel. 316 L is also hypo-allergenic and is better than 304 because it is more resistant to corrosion due to chloride content in water and is described as being ‘marine grade stainless steel’.

Many people do have a problem of allergy towards other metals like silver or gold, and such diabetic patients can always go for plastic or silicone as the material for their personalized bracelets.

The ID plate design, chain style and clasp style can all be chosen according to one’s own preference.

These bracelets need not look like a medical device, and can be personalized to appear like a piece of jewelry; making it quite convenient for daily wear.

The latest improvement in these medical alert bracelets is that they now come equipped with a USB flash drive which stores all the relevant medical information for the medical professionals to access.

Importance of Diabetic Bracelets

  • The American Diabetes Association recommends diabetics to always wear these diabetes bracelets as an important tool for communication when the patients are incapable of speaking for themselves.
  • Statistics reveal that 95 % of the emergency responders check for a medical ID bracelet.
  • It is very critical for the medical professionals treating a diabetic patient in an emergency, to know the exact type of diabetes that the patient is suffering and also about the medications being used.
  • Both the types of diabetes have different approaches towards treatment; hence any error in identifying the correct diabetic history can prove to be dangerous and even fatal to the patient.

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