The product enables consumers and patients to carry their medical records (including both text-based and visual information like MRIs and photographs) with them in a USB device that can be worn all day on a necklace or key chain.
The USB drive has a specially designed cap with a latching mechanism that helps prevent the USB drive from falling off or becoming lost. This mechanism is intended to allow emergency response personnel to quickly remove the USB drive and insert it into a computer to read the emergency medical file.
Depending on the personal health record (PHR) being used, the emergency medical file can be securely accessed by authorized emergency room personnel if required using a password provided by the patient.
The device will be available to original equipment manufacturers (OEM) customers in capacities of 64, 128, 256 and 512 megabytes and 1 gigabyte. Full production is expected in May this year.
Wearing or carrying the Waterproof USB Drive will give consumers the comfort of having their health records with them at all times, whether they’re at home, work, traveling or simply working out, said Ed Cuellar, director of marketing in SanDisk’s Emerging Markets Business Unit. Providing quick access to emergency medical information will lead to enhanced quality of care, which is the key reason the Waterproof USB Drive was developed.
