The system, which has been piloted in Colchester, Essex, is part of a plan to centralise more than 250,000 military medical records on to an £80 million computer system.

Lt Col Jonathan Cox, an Army doctor, said the memory cards will be loaded with details of treatment patients have received on the front line.

Military medics can then download the information on to futuristic computers that can be attached to the wrist, before adding it to a centralised system.

Mr Cox, speaking at the launch of the software at Colchester Garrison, said: "Historically, we've found soldiers don't tend to be separated from the dog tags worn around the neck.

"Bits of paper and clipboards have a tendency to be put down and lost. With this system, we give the memory card to the patient. If they happen to be unconscious, we can clip it to them and know it will stay with them.

"The medic can then access details of their injuries so they know how best to treat them."

Speaking at the launch, Derek Twigg, Under Secretary of State for Defence, said the computer system would be "robustly protected" and only those involved in military clinical care would be able to access it.

The software, which will be connected to NHS systems from 2010, has been proven to work and "could help save lives", he added.

The scheme will be extended throughout the Army, RAF and Royal Navy by August next year.