# Laptops in Ambulances?



## justlearning (Aug 12, 2007)

Do you carry a laptop onboard? If so, can you please elaborate on the exact uses?


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## Guardian (Aug 13, 2007)

Official uses include GPS navigation system to direct us to a call and also so dispatch can monitor our location, computerized prehospital patient care reports, communication through email etc.  On our laptops, during the call, they send us other info like the run number and address.  We acknowledge being dispatched and arriving on scene to dispatch via a button on our laptops instead of over the radio too.


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## MMiz (Aug 13, 2007)

First, welcome to EMTLife!

I would often carry a personal laptop on board... to work on school work or watch a movie.

Our rigs had MDTs that were used for dispatch, GPS location, and communication to dispatch.  We did not do computerized patient care reports.


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## Alexakat (Aug 14, 2007)

In Jacksonville, FL, used for computerized patient care reports.  There are some districts in VA that are starting to use them as well, but our agency is not there yet, unfortunately.


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## justlearning (Aug 14, 2007)

Thanks, I appreciate the information. Do you know what percentage carry laptops? Is it a standard practice or does it vary by region or company?


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## KB1MZR (Aug 27, 2007)

We are getting toughbooks to carry for computerized documentation.  So much nicer then all the paper.


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## keith10247 (Aug 28, 2007)

Hi justlearning,  welcome to the forum!


In almost all of our apparatus, we have mounted laptops (toughbooks) with evdo connectivity.  We use them primarily for dispatching (marking on-scene, cleared from scene, etc...),  we also use them to send messages back to dispatch or to send messages to other units.  The county has been planning on adding pre-plans, reporting, and GPS data to our MDCs but that is a ways out.

As for PPCRs, we use a product called SafetyPad to enter data.  It is a tablet style computer that we cary with us when dealing with patients.  We record every detail about the patient as possible.  Once at the hospital, we put the safetypad in to a cradle and do our final report.  We then bring the safety pad to an ER nurse for their signature and transmit the data to the county for reporting purposes.

Oh, we can also use a USB interface to connect the safety pad to our LifePak 1200 to record EKG information; but that is too technical for our station!


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## TripsTer (Sep 11, 2007)

My service uses hammerhead tablets right now, Our day trucks have them but I think sometime this month they're switching all our trucks to Toughbooks.


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## fm_emt (Sep 20, 2007)

I carry my laptop in the rig with me. MacBook Pro. It's also my work laptop for my day job. We know where to get free wireless internet, so we'll post in such a location and surf the web between calls. 

A couple of our hospitals offer free wifi too.


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## mtsjess (Oct 15, 2007)

*Laptop on rig*

We do carry a laptop on one of our rigs.  I have yet to see anyone use it, but occasionally when the situation permits, we do our run sheet on that. We also carry a printer, so if we have to we can print out correct documentation.  For us, tending to a smaller community, we rarely need it since our time to the hospital is so short.  In a matter of minutes we're at the hospital doing our reports in the ER.  I think they're nice for a backup, if they are working correctly.


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