# PDAs



## SwissEMT (Apr 25, 2007)

Hey Guys,

I was curious as to whether any of you ran PDAs for work. Any of you taken the leap? 
I've found that there are SO many programs and databases available for us that it seems stupid not to take advantage of it. 
Any of you have recommendations, advice?

-SwissEMT


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## HorseHauler (Apr 25, 2007)

I have a Zire 72 I bought probably 3 years ago. I have 2 or 3 EMS/medic programs on there as well as a PDR drug guide. It really helped me out a lot through school. It is also nice to have in your pocket for a quick look up on anything even on a call... 
  I may get a PDA/Phone for my next phone that way I can have everything in one and not have to worry about carrying 2 electronics with me.


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## SwissEMT (Apr 27, 2007)

Thanks for the reply, I'm about to attend Paramedic school so you hit that on the head. 
I will be picking up a Sony in the next 2 weeks. We'll see how it goes!


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## MMiz (Apr 27, 2007)

I don't really know too much about PDAs, and really haven't seen them in EMS.  I owned the first Palm Pilot, then had the Palm Pilot III.  

I would suggest that you do some research before investing big money in one.  One technology forum I frequent asked its members which purchase was the biggest waste of money, and tons of people reported their Sony Clie to have died just months after getting one.  I'm not sure if the Zire is improved, but I wouldn't want to make a big investment and then have it die on me.


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## BossyCow (Apr 27, 2007)

I have an HP iPAQ which runs windows and I love it.  Has all my phone contacts and can dial my cell phone through bluetooth with the number from my contacts list.  I have local protocols on there, a list of common medications (with their correct spelling) I can write down the info about the patient in notes with the stylus instead of having to type and then transfer it to a MIR later.  

If you do get one, make sure you synch with your computer often, and charge it regularly.  If the battery goes completely dead you may have to reload everything but the good news is that is pretty easy to do and doesn't take too long.  

Mine is a few years old but like most electronics, they are getting better and cheaper.  I've also heard about but haven't tried yet a new topo program for pda's to use with Search and Rescue.


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## fm_emt (Apr 28, 2007)

Nah. We're morons. If we had PDAs, they'd all be broken within a few days. People would drop them, spill lunch on them, leave them on a scene..

I do kind of wish we could use the Panasonic Toughbooks, though. Electronic PCRs might be kind of nice.

Getting the patient signatures would be kind of a pain, though...


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## divinewind_007 (Apr 28, 2007)

i recently bought the Palm TX. So far i love it. I have a few med programs running on it. No problems with it. I recommend getting the hard case for it. I have a habit of being rough on them and the hard case keeps them from being destroyed


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## medman123 (Apr 28, 2007)

divinewind_007 said:


> i recently bought the Palm TX. So far i love it. I have a few med programs running on it. No problems with it.



            I have one also, its great I don’t have any med apps on it but I have seen a lot. You can get a T/X for $100 under on eBay. If you do get one I would recommend a case for it because they are very thin and look flimsy. 

                I was thinking would you have time to put it out and use it when you are on a seen?


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## Anomalous (Apr 28, 2007)

medman123 said:


> I have one also, its great I don’t have any med apps on it but I have seen a lot. You can get a T/X for $100 under on eBay. If you do get one I would recommend a case for it because they are very thin and look flimsy.
> 
> I was thinking would you have time to put it out and use it when you are on a seen?




You may not have time to use one on a scene, but there are tons other things you can use them for.  This site has several programs for the Palm OS system-  http://www.osflifeflight.org/
including:   Critical Care Drug Reference,  EKG Trainer, Oxygen Tank Calculator, IV Drip Calculator, and a program to record times.  It's actually faster than writing it down-  hit the 'On' button and then tap the screen next to the appropriate box.  No need to save your work, just shut it off and when you turn it back on it will be back at the same place.


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## divinewind_007 (Apr 29, 2007)

i have the drug reference, oxygen tank calculator, iv drug calculator, drug dosage calculator. i just use the o2 and iv calculator for long transports. Although i am only a EMT-IV i still use the iv drip and drug dosage calculator quite a bit. me and my medic partner find it alot easier to use it then do math in our head. i also like the notepad on it just to jot down vitals.


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## adcantu (May 2, 2007)

5 years ago when I started in EMS, I had a palm iii. It was really nice, I was able to find a program that had all of the acls and pals things in it. Had medication lists with dosages and such. But alas, I was on a call one night on a helicopter, and it fell out of my pocket into the mediteranean sea. LOL. 

The company I work for now actually uses panasonic toughbooks as fm_emt was asking about. I really like it, we have 12 of them in service, one for each of our ambulances. Its really great, we have epcrs we use, which at first take some time to get used to, but now I can run a complete pcr in about 4 mins (of course, Im the IT Supervisor lol). Its really nice because you have multiple ways of entering in the information, via the keyboard (im actually typing on one of them now), you can use the tablet mode and write with a stylus as you would a pen, or you can even attach a microphone and the computer will recognize your voice and enter in the text for you. As for getting signatures, its not a big deal for me, its almost exactly like when ups delivers a package, and when I drop a pt off a lot of times I joke around saying things like package delivered on time! 

The other benifit of having the toughbooks is that it runs windows, so we have a calculator on board. It also runs adobe, so I scanned all of our sops, protocols, and other information into pdf format, then I have all of them on the desktop, giving our medics easy access to all that information. Id like to say I know everything lol, but the other day I was responding to a CVA, and was able to overlook the protocols en route just to refresh my skills lol. Another thing I like about the toughbooks is that you can carry them into the field. when responding to a call, I carry the toughbook on a shoulder strap with an attachment that straps it to your arm, much like the predator lol. But I will put it in tablet mode, and when Im working, I can flip it out, take notes on it, then get it out of the way. Its like writing on my glove, but I wont loose the notes if I tear the glove or throw it away.

Back to the epcr deal, its nice on the admin level, because we can run reports on literally everything. How many times did this employee miss an IV access attempt? What was the success rate over all for the company in the past year? How about how many times we charged for disposable linen in the past 30 days? All that information is available to us. 

ok Well I am sure ive sold this stuff to you by now lol. Ill get some pictures up hopefully today on our website, and then I will post some here! 

Oh and as for the HP Ipaq, I actually own an older one, but never tried to use it in the field because it was a little bulky.. too big to put in a pocket, but too small to strap to you lol.


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