Am I making this too hard? Am I forgetting anything?
Yes
That was funny, Bert.
But, why the flash drive? Why not on the desktop of each respective computer? Or both to be doubly safe. Or you can run AmazingUtilities, and it will make backups for you in the same folder.
I guess I was thinking worst case scenario: I turn on the Amazing Synchronizer and both computers explode into motes of superheated plasma. I would have the databases on an external drive, which I could then bury in a coffee can until the experiment was complete.
So, it does sound like you usually have your laptop on the LAN...(snip) You would need to reconnect to the network and the server databases in order to sync with them.
Okay, so when I reconnect with the server on the network, my laptop database will not be overwritten, until I synchronize.
If either of the databases have been corrupted, I can just copy the versions on my flash drive back into their respective folders and everything should be copacetic, oui?
No. I would think you would copy the laptop backups (which have the good server version PLUS all of the new notes) into the laptop AND the server. This way you do not have to worry about how you will get the new notes into the server.
And then the only thing I lose is any alteration to the server database that has taken place while I'm gone.
If it all goes kerblooey, I guess I will just copy the new notes to notepad, redirect to the server database (obliterating the old notes, correct?), and regenerate the notes on an office PC.
Huh? You lost me on that one. Notepad?
I was just saying that:
*IF* I wanted to get the nursing home notes onto the server database, *and*
*IF* I couldn't synchronize, *and*
*IF* I didn't want to lose any alterations to the server database that had taken place while I was gone, *then*
I would have to output the notes on the laptop somehow, and cut and paste them into my office network AC database manually somehow.
I am still not sure why users (depending on how often they round outside of the office) don't just copy their network database to their laptop, do rounds, come back to the office and copy the database back to the network. Seems a lot simpler to me. Of course, it would only work if you were a solo provider and no one else was using the network computers entering data while you were out.
Because:
1. I round on 50-60 nursing home patients, at three different nursing homes, on three different days.
2. I don't want to have to call to my staff as I'm leaving: "don't touch the EMR while I'm gone!!!"
3. What's the purpose of having a "Synchronize" function on your EMR, if it's unusable? If it serves no purpose other than corrupt your database and shut down production, why not depict a skull and crossbones on the switch, and call it "The Doomsday Button?"
