St. James Ambulance District, founded in 1975, provides top-level medical care to the central Missouri cities of St. James, Rosati, Little Prairie Lake and others. Over the years, the ambulance district began to grow and it became clear that it needed a more efficient method for its EMTs and paramedics to track and record everyday processes.

Initially, St. James decided to upgrade its “pen and paper” documentation process by deploying Toughbook 18 fully-rugged convertible tablet computers. More recently the ambulance district upgraded to the Toughbook 19 notebooks.

Since deploying the Toughbook devices, St. James has streamlined the EMT and paramedics’ documenting process; EMTs no longer have to transcribe documents from paper to the office computer. The Toughbook computers also helped staff improve the accuracy of patient information in reports.

Although providing a reliable mobile platform for recording and sharing information was of paramount concern to St. James, it soon realized the Toughbook computers had other benefits.

On February 25, 2011, the St. James Ambulance District was called to a motor vehicle accident on Interstate 44. While en route to the scene, ambulance 2217 experienced mechanical problems, forcing the driver to come to a complete stop. Upon exiting the vehicle, the crew members noticed smoke and found the undercarriage of the ambulance on fire. The fire quickly spread to the engine and passenger compartments, where the Toughbook 19 was located.

After the fire was brought under control by the local fire departments, one of the crew members realized that he had three unfinished reports on the laptop. The crew grabbed the laptop, tilted it sideways to let the water drain, and hit the power button to find the computer was fully functional with a few minor exceptions.

“The exterior [of the Toughbook 19] was melted and the case was cracked in several places,” stated Bryan Lambeth, EMS supervisor and paramedic for St. James Ambulance District. “I truly didn’t have high hopes, but I hit the power button and the computer fired right up!”

This wasn’t the only impressive survival story for the St. James Ambulance District. About four years ago, a crew transported a patient from St. James to St. Louis, about a 110 mile trip. After dropping the patient off, the crew placed its Toughbook 18 on the back bumper of the ambulance while cleaning the rig. Once finished, they began their trip home, realizing 40 miles down the road the Toughbook computer was missing. Assuming it had been left in the back of the ambulance, the crew continued its drive through an incessant thunderstorm.

Upon arriving in St. James, the crew stopped to refuel and noticed the device had been on the rear bumper of the ambulance the entire trip. The Toughbook device made it back in one piece, but was completely soaked and covered in road grime. When the team brought the device back to base, they cleaned it up and turned it on to find it working perfectly.

The Toughbook 18 and 19 computers have helped to simplify St. James Ambulance District’s reporting process, allowing crews to report from their emergency vehicles, reducing duplicate entry of data and minimizing incomplete information and data errors. Beyond process improvements, the St. James Ambulance District team has experienced firsthand the advantages of using a device engineered to withstand the rigors of harsh operating environments.

In mission-critical environments, like those faced by the St. James Ambulance District, it’s nice to have the piece-of-mind, and bottom-line value offered by one of the industry’s most reliable mobile computing platforms.

What has your Toughbook device endured? We welcome you to share your Panasonic Toughbook survival stories with us!

The PDRC works seamlessly with other Toughbook mobile computers, providing a secure and ergonomic system for transferring mission-critical data in the field.  In addition, the PDRC also helps broaden the functionality of ultra-mobile devices to include activities like writing detailed reports.  Public safety users also have the ability to mount the PDRC independently from the connected Toughbook mobile computer for easy viewing and access.

Take a look at this recent post for more info about how one agency, the Tulsa Police Department, is utilizing PDRCs with rugged Toughbook U1 handhelds.   If you’re attending the APCO International Annual Conference in Houston next week, be sure to stop by the Panasonic booth (#923) to see the new PDRC as well.

Check out Castle Rock’s story after the jump, and we also welcome any experiences you’d like to share with us.

How Castle Rock Fire and Rescue Uses the Toughbook 30 and High Plains ePCR software to streamline processes

The Castle Rock Fire and Rescue Department protects the lives and property of 51,000 Colorado residents. In 2002, Castle Rock decided to ease the burden on its EMTs and paramedics by upgrading their emergency call documentation system.

Prior to the technology upgrade, its paramedics relied on pen and paper notes that had to be transcribed on computers back at their station. This system presented significant challenges, such as incomplete information due to the difficulty of recalling every detail of a patient’s care.

A Winning Combination

Castle Rock began addressing these challenges by equipping their medic vehicles with fully-rugged Panasonic Toughbook® 30 mobile computers loaded with ePCR software from High Plains Information Systems.

The Toughbook 30 protects precious data with a magnesium alloy case and shock-mounted hard drive. The daylight-readable touchscreen and embedded mobile broadband capabilities also make it easy for EMTs and paramedics to file their reports from anywhere, at any time.

High Plains Information Systems provides a complete, fully-integrated fire records management system (RMS) that addresses nearly every aspect of a fire department’s operation, from incident and patient care reporting to scheduling and payroll.

Norris Croom, Division Chief of Operations at Castle Rock Fire and Rescue, has noticed a vast improvement in efficiency since implementing the solutions. “Prior to this procedure, it was taking 25-30 minutes after they returned to complete paperwork, and now it takes just a couple of minutes to wirelessly upload a report,” said Croom. “We are saving approximately 20 minutes per emergency call, and with more than 2,000 EMS calls per year, that time definitely adds up.”

Helping Every Touchpoint in the Healthcare System

The streamlined process has also increased efficiency at Sky Ridge Medical Center, the primary hospital receiving Castle Rock’s patients. Paramedics can easily create a detailed patient care report from their emergency vehicle while en route.

“From a legal perspective, if it wasn’t recorded, it didn’t happen,” said Dr. Steve Heinz, Physician Advisor for Castle Rock Fire and Rescue at Sky Ridge. “This system helps us streamline our process, eliminate errors and deliver the best possible overall care to patients.”

To read more about Castle Rock Fire and Rescue’s deployment, click here.

According to JEMS, whose product review team selects the winners, its Hot Products represent “the most innovative, functional and potentially life-saving products to come onto the (EMS) market in the past six months.”

JEMS’ reviewers found that the fully-rugged mobile clinical assistant (MCA) “truly meets the demands and ever-changing needs of EMS providers” through its long battery life, integrated Gobi technology, dual hot-swappable batteries and a daylight-viewable screen.  These advances are “critical to maximizing EMS responders’ efficiency and productivity while protecting vital patient data.”

You can find the Toughbook H1 and other Hot Products winners profiled in the June 2009 issue of JEMS Magazine.

Having rugged Toughbook notebooks en route and at the scene enables the FDNY to respond quicker and with more information than they’ve ever had, including a seamless link to other local and federal agencies during major incidents and disasters.