# Notebook placment / installation



## dgoddard (Oct 22, 2011)

I have to install a couple of new PCR notebooks using ambupro software, I am trying to put the notebooks in the best possible position. From what I have seen / everyone has them installed in the front of the ambulance, however, at the station I have had a number of EMT's who have suggested mounting it in the back .. any thoughts?


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## Aidey (Oct 22, 2011)

Don't mount them, or at the very least make them removable.


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## Shishkabob (Oct 22, 2011)

Are you talking about the charging station, or a permanent spot for the laptop?


My last agency had the charging station in the back, which really sucked.  Sure, I could do the PCR on it in the back, but often times I'd be up front to finish it, and it wouldnt be charging, and at the end of the call is when you're most likely to have a low battery.


At my new agency, the laptop is on a swivel charger in the front, because not only are the PCRs on it, but so is the CAD and navigation software.  Going to calls, use it to navigate.  Once on scene, disconnect it and it foes with the medic in the back of the truck.  Done with the call, and it goes back on the charger on the front.



As long as the laptop is mobile, front is best.


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## DesertMedic66 (Oct 22, 2011)

We have a mount in the front but the laptop can easily be removed. We use a car charger to charge the laptop so it can be charged in the front or the back. Our hospitals also have a charger for our laptops so they can be charged while we are there.


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## Nerd13 (Oct 22, 2011)

We don't have CAD so our laptops are mounted on swivel mounts on the action deck next to the airway seat. If you have CAD it would be nice to have mounts in the front and potentially in the back so that you could tailor their use to the needs of each call.


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## Handsome Robb (Oct 22, 2011)

I'd say mount capable of disconnecting the toughbook on the passenger side of the cab, articulating mount would be nice. The driver doesn't need to be looking at a computer screen they need to be driving. Your partner can relay dispatch/mapping info to you, if they can't do it then someone needs to consider the new employee hiring/training process. We don't actually use our toughbooks for CAD, just ePCR stuff. Everything we do is radio transmissions, pages, and map books. 

I personally like to sit in the airway chair and have the laptop in my lap working on my chart if the patient doesn't require my immediate attention. I will sit there facing rearward and ask them questions such as DOB, address, SSN and what not for my charting, having it mounted somewhere could cause you to be in a less than ideal position during a collision but that's just me. I'm sure there are people who wont be happy with me holding a toughbook in the back while with a patient but its a necessary evil when you run in a busy system unless you like trying to recall info from 12 calls at the end of your shift while staying late a couple of hours to finish all the charts your down.


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## Tigger (Oct 22, 2011)

NVRob said:


> I I'm sure there are people who wont be happy with me holding a toughbook in the back while with a patient but its a necessary evil when you run in a busy system unless you like trying to recall info from 12 calls at the end of your shift while staying late a couple of hours to finish all the charts your down.



I see nothing wrong with charting during transport, I need to get their demographics at some point. Might as well do it when I am the only person with the patient, instead of the ER where you have to compete with time for the patient or wait until the staff is done with their initial assessment. Plus getting most of the PCR done before arrival makes the hand off that much easier, since all relevant information is in one place.


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## Devilz311 (Oct 23, 2011)

We have Ram Mounts for our toughbooks in our rigs.  Personally I'm not a fan... You can never manuver it to a comfortable angle for typing, it gets in the way when trying to switch channels on the radio (comms, not FM), and I always seem to bash my elbow on it when getting in the truck. Also, the way some crews have it positioned would send the entire setup into the passenger if the airbag deploys...

Of the two units I work, one has a new rig that doesn't have a mount in it. I love it. The Toughbook fits perfectly in the console next to the maps, and we have a 110v charger running from an inverter outlet.  I think it's much easier to type with it on my lap as opposed to being in the mount.


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