Emergency medical card
Credit-card sized, printed from the page, folded into the wallet or taped inside the cupboard where the ambulance crew looks.
Why a card and not a binder
In an emergency nobody opens a binder. They look in the wallet, on the fridge, or in the medication box. The card carries only what changes a decision in the first minute: conditions, allergies, current medicines, who to call, and whether there is a DNR or POLST on file. Everything else belongs in the care binder.
Keep it honest and current
Two failure modes make these cards dangerous: an allergy list that was never filled in, and a code status that changed after a hospital admission. Put a date on the card and rewrite it whenever either changes. If there is a POLST or advance directive, the card should say where the original lives — not reproduce it.
How to print it
Fill in the fields, press Print / save as PDF, print on card stock if you can, cut along the dashed line and fold. The print layout is fixed at 85×54 mm, the size of a bank card, so it fits a wallet slot.
Questions
What should an emergency medical card contain?
Conditions, allergies, current medicines, blood type if known, doctor and pharmacy contacts, two family contacts, and the location of any advance directive or POLST. Keep it to what changes a decision in the first minute.
Where should it be kept?
In the wallet, on the fridge door, and in the bag that goes to appointments. Emergency responders commonly check the wallet and the fridge.
Is it stored online?
No. The values are saved in this browser on this device only; you can clear them at any time with the Clear button.
Basis & sources
Primary sources only — the statute, form or paper this page is built on.
- Shimbo D, et al. Circulation. 2020;142:e42-e63 — 2 readings >=1 min apart, AM+PM, 7 days (min 3)
- Hypertension Canada 2024 Blood Pressure Log — BP log fields: target, arm, reading #1/#2, 7-day average
- California DDS MAR tip sheet — MAR header: name, DOB, allergies
- California DDS MAR tip sheet — dose, route, frequency required
- California DDS MAR tip sheet — PRN reason and result
- California DDS MAR tip sheet — refusal reason
- 42 CFR 482.43 — discharge planning CoP