Medical Information and Safe Return Home

Information about Matt's Medical Condition

Matt was three when he was first diagnosed with arthritis. Since then he has had a number of flair-ups during which multiple joints would swell and he would suffer moderate to severe levels of pain.  Periodically, his mother would have to type out lists of his medications and possible side-effects and provide these to people Matt was in contact with "just in case" it was needed. 

Even when he was at primary school Matt disliked his friends and their parents knowing about his arthritis. As Matt has grown into his teenage years this feeling has only increased. At the moment, camps and sleep-overs pose particular problems.

Matt knows that in the case of a medical emergency it is important that those around him know about his condition, medications and doctors contact details. Yet he feels uncomfortable to have this information constantly given out to an ever increasing number of people when it may not be needed.  What Matt and his family wanted was a system that summarised the information, was available 24-hours a day but was only available to others on an "as needed" basis. 

When Matt's family heard about the Safe Return Home system through friends, they believed that there was an answer to the dilemma. The information about Matt’s condition and medications could be stored on a secure Internet database that would only be accessed in a time of need. No more writing endless personal details on camp forms or the constant worry that he would forget to tell his friend’s parents vital information. All that is now required is that Matt either:

• print out the information summarised in Safe Return Home for reference;
• wear a Safe Return Home bracelet that contains emergency medical details and contact numbers and links back to the detailed web site information on Matt.
• have his Safe Return Home username and password available if needed for medical staff, teacher’s, camp leader’s or friend’s parents.  Matt and his family have total control on access to this data.
• approved people can immediately access the information temporarily that is important for Matt's continued medical wellbeing if Matt and his family allow this access.

The system has sophisticated auditing (users that access the system are identified) and registrants can change the password at any time via their own special "adminstrative" section.

The good thing about the Safe Return Home system is that Matt and his family have control over what information is registered on the system.  They can update it as often as Matt's needs change. For his mother, the system provides increased peace of mind, especially as Matt increasingly spends more time away from home.