At World Medical Card, we have developed our product to incorporate the World Health Organization’s (WHO) ICD-11 codes. This ensures that global medical professionals can understand WMC members’ unique medical data regardless of language or emergency situations.
World Medical Card membership offers a physical medical ID card and a secure app. The 2-in-1 solution helps medical professionals access your vital information when needed, anywhere in the world.
Imagine you are on vacation in Seoul. Suddenly, you experience a severe allergic reaction or a complication from a chronic condition. You are rushed to an ER where you don’t speak the language, and the doctors don’t have access to your home medical records.
In the past, this was a recipe for dangerous misunderstandings. Today, thanks to global ICD-11 codes, your World Medical Card acts as a universal translator, ensuring doctors can see the facts, even if they can't read your native language. When time is of the essence, the World Medical Card could save your life.
What Exactly is ICD-11?
ICD-11 stands for the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision. Maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO), it is a vast digital library of codes that represent all known injuries, diseases, and causes of death.
Think of it like a barcode for your health. Just as a barcode on a bag of coffee tells a scanner exactly what’s inside, regardless of who is holding the scanner, an ICD-11 code tells a physician exactly what your diagnosis is.
While the previous version (ICD-10) served us for decades, the world of medicine has evolved. ICD-11 is a massive upgrade for three key reasons. Unlike older versions, ICD-11 was built for the era of smartphones and electronic health records. It integrates seamlessly with platforms like the World Medical Card. It contains over 55,000 unique codes, compared to about 14,400 in the old version. This allows for much more specific descriptions of conditions, especially in areas like mental health and oncology.
How Your World Medical Card Uses This Code
When you enter your medical information into your World Medical Card profile, we don’t just save the text you type. Our system maps your conditions to these standardised ICD codes.
Here is why that is a game-changer for your safety:
- Zero Translation Errors: Medical terms are complex. A "heart attack" might be a Myocardial Infarction to one doctor and a Mioinfarto to another. Using the code, the clinical meaning across all borders.
- Faster Triage: In an emergency, every second counts. If a paramedic scans your card and sees a specific ICD code, they don't have to guess or wait for a translator. They can begin the correct protocol immediately.
- Reduced Medication Errors: Many conditions require specific treatments while forbidding others. By providing a clear, coded diagnosis, you help foreign doctors avoid prescribing "contraindicated" drugs that could make your situation worse.
Your Health, Translated
You shouldn't have to be a medical expert to travel safely. By leveraging the power of ICD-11, the World Medical Card removes delays from global healthcare. We turn your complex medical history into a clear, coded, and universal language that protects you wherever you go.
What does World Medical Card Membership Involve?
For just £24 per month, you join the WMC family. Membership enables members to create a detailed profile of their health information, which can include medications and prescriptions, allergies, diagnoses, surgeries and implants, vaccination records, donor status, multiple emergency contacts, including loved ones, travel partners, and anyone else who may need to know your medical information in case of an emergency. You can also upload documents such as insurance details, X-rays or hospital records.
What You Get
The Physical Card: A durable, credit-card-sized card containing your most vital information, sealed for privacy, includes members’ medical information in World Health Organization (WHO) global standards codes (ICD-11 for diagnoses and ATC for medicines), allowing medical professionals to understand them globally. A medical profile can be obtained via a unique password sealed inside. Crucially, this works even without internet or power, making it invaluable in remote or emergency scenarios.
The Mobile App: A secure application for your smartphone or tablet that allows you to manage and update your profile. One of its standout features is the ability to translate your medical information into over 100 languages, ensuring that language barriers don’t hinder effective communication with healthcare providers. The app can also help you locate nearby doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies.
Don’t delay. Discover the World Medical Card today!
