We will be the first ambulance service in the state to implement this software, and to our knowledge will be the first service in the state to implement use of the palm for patient care reporting.

The software, named I-Medic, is offered by I-Logic and owned by Robert Delikat (who can be reached at www.emspda.com).

With I-Medic we will be able to use mostly check boxes to gather history, prescriptions, doctors, and allergies while on the scene. Than when we arrive at the hospital we can use a transportable keyboard, or the touch screen, to add additional information, including a narrative. The Palm and software uses infrared technology to allow printing. You may find that most hospitals already have at least one compatible printer. All you have to do is be within seven feet of the printer and tell the Palm to print. If your hospital doesn't have an infrared printer then you can purchase an special cable (which makes any printer infrared) for around $45.00.

I-Medic and our billing software both have been modified to be compatible with each other. Periodically we come into the office and, with infrared, download our patient care reports to our office manager’s computer. Her printer then prints out the bills for those runs.

We have also equipped our Palm computers with some other beneficial software. We have added an prescription drug program, which is updated via the Internet every time the palm is online, automatically. A mapping program has been spoken of. A drug calculator is also included. The possibilities are up to what your needs warrant.

For additional information contact Marty Johnson at johnson@dragg.net and/or Mr. Delikat. 

Editor's note: Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) include a number of devices that are essentially hand-held computers. There are two major groups of these devices; those with small keyboards and those without, relying instead on a special pen and some type of handwriting recognition. There are a number of different brands and types of PDAs, but the most common are the Palm Pilots and others that use the same Palm operating system. 

PDAs are commonly used to keep track of appointments, addresses, and to-do lists, but many have the capability to do much more and are being used by EMS agencies to provide drug information, dosage calculations, treatment protocols, and even patient care documentation. 

Below is a short list of PDA software that may be useful to EMS agencies. Many of these are free.