DrMonitor - Virtual Health Platform

A desktop web application that connects patients with healthcare professionals about minor concerns/symptoms, and healthcare professionals are able to monitor and assist patients virtually.

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Inspiration

During the winter season, the combination of the cold weather conditions and viruses such as the cold or the flu causes people to be vulnerable and prone to getting sick. This problem is further enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic, where many people fear/are unable to go to hospitals and other clinics due to the pandemic protocols when they are experiencing physical problems, mental health problems, and chronic illnesses. Even with many hospitals and clinics offering appointments online, the patients usually have to spend time going into websites to research to find suitable hospitals and clinics to meet their needs, and some patients might be uncomfortable talking with a healthcare professional in a video call and/or have a minor issue that couldn’t be resolved through an internet search and want a healthcare professional to assist them. On the other hand, some healthcare professionals might not feel comfortable working in hospitals and clinics and would rather work and assist people at home.

What it does

DrMonitor is a desktop web application in which patients are able to schedule appointments and communicate directly to healthcare professionals from around the world about minor concerns/symptoms, and healthcare professionals are able to monitor and assist patients from their own homes.

From the patient’s side, the patient is able to create an account (where they are able to enter their email, full name, username and password as well as their profile picture) and log in, and they will be directed to a home page where they have access to a direct chatting platform where they can receive help from a healthcare professional. In the chatting platform, the patient is able to type any of their concerns that they are having through messaging the healthcare professional that they would like to have to assist them (by looking at their profile), and the healthcare professional will get back to them over text as soon as possible. If the patient has something more serious and would like a 1-on-1 video call, they will have access to all of the healthcare professionals that are available with their specializations and are able to click on their profile and schedule a meeting time with them on the days and times that they are free.

From the healthcare professional’s side, the healthcare professional is able to create a separate account (where they are able to enter their email, full name, username and password as well as their profile picture and information such as the medical institution that they work at as well as their specializations). From there, they are able to create appointment days and times that they are available for patients to contact them, edit their profile as they seem fit, as well as respond to any messages that patients might have for them.

How we built it

We built DrMonitor’s entire front and back end through https://www.adalo.com/, an extremely effective and easy to learn no-code app building platform, as well as Canva, a graphic design platform for DrMonitor’s icons, colours and logo.

Challenges we ran into

Since all of us were complete beginners to hackathons in general, we had a hard time scheduling our time and dividing out tasks to each member. However, as time went on, each of us got into our own work habits and were able to effectively work on the project together based on our strengths and weaknesses.

We were also new to the platform Adalo, which meant that we had to do a lot of research on the platform in general and how to use the platform to our advantage in terms of executing the app and turning our visions into reality. Even though it took some time to adjust to the platform and some frustrating errors (e.g. login page not working) when testing our web application, we were still able to get the project done in a way that we are satisfied with the end result.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Being able to solve all of our bugs on our own without any external help.

Ideating, developing and designing a working web app within 24 hours as first-time hackers that’s convenient for both healthcare professionals and patients to access.

Being able to communicate clearly and effectively with each other, and delegate tasks to each member for project success through online platforms such as Google Docs and Discord.

With DrMonitor, we wanted to find an easier and convenient medium for both healthcare professionals and patients to access and communicate with each other without stepping foot outside of their own homes. Its user interface and experience is extremely eye-pleasing and minimalistic and is extremely easy to navigate. There’s also no additional website or phone app that needs to be downloaded/signed into and users’ will have no hassle using the web application.

What we learned

We learned to use the Adalo platform through trial and error as well as watching videos on Youtube since it was our first time using the platform. Through using the platform, we learned to integrate the techniques that we have learned with other programming languages, such as Python, into executing this web application (e.g. creating messaging platforms as well as different user experiences for healthcare professionals and patients). Overall, this was a really great learning experience and we are looking forward to expanding and further this project in the future.

What's next for Dr. Monitor - Virtual Health Platform

As the platform grows, we aim to expand the number of doctors and specify the patients' needs by recruiting doctors from different fields. Ideally, the patient would explain their issue and symptoms to a bot that would reply with a summary of what disease they could have and what they would have to do to treat it. We would also like to integrate notifications where patients and doctors can choose to receive them so that they can get reminders for appointments and get notified of new messages.

We also plan on making the platform multilingual. Many people living in Canada are bilingual and are unable to fully explain their concerns and symptoms in English; multilingual platforms are welcoming to people from all around the world with different cultures and backgrounds.

People all around the world are affected by the Coronavirus and therefore many people around the world are also unable to contact a doctor during these vital times. Especially in developing countries where online resources are limited. Our next step would be to make DrMonitor accessible to people all around the world.

Built With

  • adalo
  • canva
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