Toughbooks are already being used by more than 300 paramedics across some 30 paramedic teams. By the end of 2006, more than 200 Toughbooks will have been rolled out to 1000 paramedics in about 100 teams.

The Toughbooks will be used primarily in tablet PC form and will run a software program called Vacis (Victorian Ambulance Clinical Information System), which the ambulance service designed and developed to assist paramedics by simplifying the process of capturing patient data for further analysis and reporting.

The Toughbooks will also hold information to help paramedics whilst they work including clinical practice guidelines, animated work instructions, training materials and the eMIMS electronic drug database.

With the service's paramedics handling a quarter of a million emergency cases a year, Cameron Crampton, general manager of Melbourne Ambulance Service's information management services, said it is essential that the equipment they use is reliable and can withstand a harsh working environment. The paramedic environment is pretty tough, he said, with the Toughbooks used in a range of situations. "It could be loaded on the back of a stretcher, thrown in the back of an ambulance, or covered in fluids," he said.

The laptops were built to military specifications, Crampton said, and paramedics appreciated that the ruggedization had not compromised technical performance.