Laptops in Ambulances - Advice Needed

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upmm019

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Looking for advice regarding the use of laptops in ambulances.

I work for a basic service that has about 700 runs a year, covering about 300 sq miles for the given county.

Our county uses a software that has GIS landowner information and we are considering using this as a tool within our ambulances.

We currently use our handy maps and such but to get with the times we thought it may be nice and perhaps quicker to have a laptop with such information installed.

That said, are there any folks out there with similar service that does the same? If so, do you think it has helped or hindered your service?

Lastly, for those who do use laptops... how and what do you use to keep the laptop fully powered? We have an inverter but those plugs are in the back of the rig for powering IV pumps and such. Is there a DC sort of thing that is used to keep it fully powered?

Do you set the laptops to hibernate when not in use?

thanks
 
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EMSLaw

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Many services have gone to toughbooks. If you plan on doing that, you can do your PCRs on the laptop as well - they even come with digitizer screens so that the consent to treat or RMA can be signed on screen.

You can plug it in back at the station, or some places will have a dock in the front of the ambulance (for CAD/GPS/etc). Or you can use an adaptor to charge it from the DC current in what used to be called the cigarette lighter. :)
 
Akulahawk

Akulahawk

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Toughbooks are pretty much the way to go. They're expensive, but they're quite rugged computers. As for powering them, there are adapters for 12VDC as well as 120VAC, mounts to attach them to vehicles...

There are tons of possibilities, and as already posted, you can do electronic patient care reports and with a digitizer on the screen, you can electronically capture consent...
 
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EMSLaw

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I think a new toughbook CF-19 is in the $3500 range. You can get refurbished 18's for significantly less, depending on how many bells and whistles you want. You can buy them on eBay for a few hundred, but that wouldn't do for a service that needed to depend on the things reliability.

But you can run over one with an ambulance and it still works.
 
Fulch

Fulch

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Tough books.

EMSlaw's not kidding! I worked for a company last year (not EMS related) who used tough-books and I swear we managed to do everything to those things, bar playing hand-granade tennis, and they never got serious damage!!

However accidently dropping one out of the back of a truck doing 65mph did cause it to hic-up for a while.
 
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upmm019

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I think a toughbook may be out of our budget at this point. I think we may pilot an inexpensive but newer laptop. I'm sure we might learn that a tough book is the way to go but then again, we only run about 700 calls per year.

Can someone tell me more about "digitizer on the screen".. not sure I follow what this is....

Thanks.
 
alphatrauma

alphatrauma

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Ever sign for a package from UPS or FedEx?

It's a similar concept... Digital Signature
 
FLEMTP

FLEMTP

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upmm019 said:
I think a toughbook may be out of our budget at this point. I think we may pilot an inexpensive but newer laptop. I'm sure we might learn that a tough book is the way to go but then again, we only run about 700 calls per year.

Can someone tell me more about "digitizer on the screen".. not sure I follow what this is....

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Go with a toughbook... for what you're gonna spend on the several laptops you're going to go through because they keep getting damaged/broken.. you can get a toughbook and do it right the first time. Look into grants for the computers.. many times the government has grant money available for just this type of situation.
 
MedicSqrl

MedicSqrl

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The toughbooks are definitely something to get. I have seen them take some nasty falls and come back like nothing happened.
 
EMT

EMT

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Yeah we use tough books too.

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resq330

resq330

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We were issued 4 Tough Books...thanks to a nice donation from the state. Haven't gotten to use them yet though.
 
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EMSLaw

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upmm019 said:
Can someone tell me more about "digitizer on the screen".. not sure I follow what this is....
Click to expand...

A digitizer is a special layer that's worked into the screen when it's made, that enables the screen to digitize signatures and other handwriting. You need it for most ePCR applications where you want to have the patient sign the electronic copy (for refusals, consent to bill, what have you).

Sorry, I'm not really an expert, but that's what it does. :)

I know one of the vendors hereabouts was selling refurbished CF-18s with a 3-year warranty and service for $1800/ea.

Good luck.
 
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Simusid

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We've been using toughbooks for years. Yes they get dropped, yes they take a beating, yes they survive!

I'm also going to add a shameless plug (I know the guy that wrote it)for the PCR software that we use. We have been using AmbuPro EMS for years. It's comprehensive and pretty easy to use. I think it helps us generate very high quality reports more quickly.

One nice side effect is that since it helps us collect so much info, I'm told that we have fewer claims kicked back from insurance companies which means we recover more $$$.
 
resq330

resq330

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EMT said:
Of course, i would as well. What else do they give you guys?
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Normally they will go 50/50 with us on a grant. (As they're getting ready to do when we purchase our new $130k ambulance :D). They did this deal with the tough books because they were getting everyone in the state away from paper PCR's. Now its will all be internet based. So just about everyone agency in the state that requested them, got them. I'm not sure if it was funded from the Office of EMS or DHS.
 
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EMSLaw

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Do you use EMSCharts? That's what we're (theoretically) transitioning to when we (theoretically) go paperless in the near future.
 
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upmm019

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Let me ask another question.....

keeping in mind we are a small bls service (700 runs per year) and we do not do any electronic forms at this point. I'd like to see if any of you out there have any sort of presentations on how you sold such an idea to move towards tough books, electronic forms, GPS, etc... something that we can work from to present to our administration (guys with the dough$$).

Given the cost of a new tough book, mount, software etc. We could easily exceed $10k. I know for a fact they will not support this unless we have some really good examples of why it is the way to go.

I know personally the many advantages of having such equipment but I'm probably not the best person to put it to pencil and paper for a presentation to the "suits", if you know what I mean....
 
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