Which wrist is best for your medical ID bracelet?
In the event of a medical emergency first responders will check the patient for any signs of medical alert jewellery, whether that be a necklace, bracelet or a wallet card. The reason why medical information is often worn on the wrist or neck is that these are the places that paramedics would check your pulse. So they are more likely to spot your jewellery.
Wearing a medical alert bracelet can ensure that your medical conditions or needs are communicated quickly and easily, especially if you are unresponsive or unconscious when paramedics arrive.
But which wrist is best for your medical ID bracelet?
The answer to this is quite simple – whichever wrist you want to wear it on.
There isn’t a specific wrist that medical staff will check first; they will initially check both wrists and the neckline, with any bags/wallets being checked after the initial assessment of the patient has taken place.
The only time we would advise wearing your bracelet on a specific wrist is if the information on it is related to that arm; for example if you want paramedics to know not to take your blood pressure on your left arm you may wear a wristband or bracelet which reads “No BP or needles this arm” in which case you would wear it on your left wrist. Or to be extra safe, you could choose engraving that reads "No BP or needles Left arm".
Any other considerations?
There are a few other things to bear in mind when choosing which wrist to wear your bracelet on. These are more to help with the life span of your product and to ensure it gets seen more easily in an emergency situation.
- Try not to let your bracelet rub against a watch or any other jewellery. As a lot of our products have beads or charms it is a good idea to keep these clear of other jewellery which may rub or catch on to them. It will help your bracelet stay looking it’s best and reduce the risk of damage to your engraving, your watch or other jewellery.
- Think about your daily activities – do you work behind a desk? If so think about how your position your hands on your keyboard and which wrist may rub against the desktop the most during your day. If it’s knocking against the desk it may be quite distracting and noisy and also damaging to your bracelet.
- Take into consideration the size of your wrists and the style of your medical bracelet. If you have a small wrist and want it to appear larger, then chunkier styles work well; if you have a large wrist that you wish to appear smaller then choose something of medium width – chunkier styles will make them look larger and very thin delicate styles will also have the same effect. Woven bracelets made from cord, rope, macramé or leather work well for people with large wrists. Ideally, you want your medical bracelet to be easy to identify in an emergency situation but not be so overpowering that it overshadows your other jewellery or accessories.
- Some think the wrist you should wear a bracelet on depends on the material of which it is made. If your bracelet features amethyst, jade, fluorite, moonstone, sapphire, olivine, calcite or malachite it’s believed they are best worn on the left wrist as they are seen as absorbing crystals. If your bracelet features amber, topaz, tourmaline, black agate or topaz obsidian then they are best worn on the right wrist as they are projecting crystals. However, again this is all down to personal choice and whether you believe in the healing powers of crystals.
- Think about the kind of clasp your bracelet will have. Will you be able to open it and put the bracelet on yourself if you decide to wear it on your dominant hand?
- Whatever wrist you choose the most important thing is that your bracelet is comfortable to wear and doesn’t interrupt with your routine activities, especially if it’s an item you are intending on wearing on a daily basis. If it’s uncomfortable the temptation will be there to not wear it and it can’t provide protection in an emergency if you don’t have it on.
If you are considering purchasing a medical alert bracelet think about other jewellery that you like to wear. If you already wear a lot of bracelets do you have space for it to comfortably sit on your wrist? Will it work with your other pieces and is it still easily noticeable in case of an emergency? If you have any bracelets maybe try them on both your wrists and see which you prefer, you may not decide until your bracelet arrives and you can see and feel it in person but these are all things to bear in mind when choosing which product to order.
All our bracelets are designed to be worn on either wrist so you can be sure they will look equally good whether you decide to wear them on the right or the left side.
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February 08, 2021
Great Information. I am interested in helping seniors. One way is to help them by using a medical alert watch to monitor them. Are there any concerns that would prohibit a senior from using your ideas? I enjoyed your post and will be coming back. Be safe.