Bert,
Well the main reason one syncs before they leave is so if one works on anyone or anything that is already a patient with a chart, Mrs Smith Chart # 123 has all her info from both machines in chart #123, right? Because if the doc in the field was to create a new chart in a virgin database on the laptop for Mrs Smith she would then have two charts, one from the laptop like # 1 or 2 (and who already had that chart number on the main databse no less?) and then when you try to sync both back up now at best Mrs Smith would have two charts instead of one continual sequencial chart. And there is the issue of the main database having charts already with most of the lower numbers already.
So one should always sync or otherwise leave home with the most current copy of the database on their laptop before hitting the road to minimize such issues. Now you simply enter Mrs Smith in her already est'ed chart and chart number. The only time this would not apply completely would be if you were making a new chart for a new patient for the first time while in the field and even still you would want your version of AC to know what the last good chart number was.
Hey this brings up a good question: Let's say the main database at home is up to chart number 500 and while the two machines are apart they both add new patients so let's say the server and the laptop both now have patients with chart numbers, 501 and 502, and even perhaps one of them has a 503 and 504 now too, do we know that the sync function can and will handle this? Can and will it reassign chart numbers to each and every one of these new charts so that all of them have proper chart numbers? Can it handle having two databases trying to sync up with two different charts (different patients) that share a common chart numbers? Do you get what I'm asking here? I would hope that this has been addressed in the design of the thing, but perhaps there should be some limits on how and what we do while the two machines are apart. Thinking this through could drive one mad, and you must tip your hat to those who think of these things and then design with these possiblities in mind. But again some amount of communication of how and why would be most apperciated.
