WaitWell: Transforming ED Experiences

Inspiration

The emergency department is often a stressful and overwhelming place. For Angus, one of our team members, this reality hit hard during a particularly difficult visit to the ED, where the waiting felt endless, and the uncertainty even worse. That experience drove home the need for change—not to eliminate wait times (a nearly impossible task), but to make the waiting experience more transparent, supportive, and bearable for patients. With this in mind, we created WaitWell.

What it does

WaitWell focuses on improving the patient experience in three key areas: transparency, status, and anxiety.

Instant Visibility

Simple Access: Patients can scan a QR code on their wristband to access updates.
Real-Time Information: Live updates on queue position and the patient’s progress through the ED process.
Clear Journey Tracking: Easy-to-understand visual indicators showing steps from registration to discharge.

AI Companion

Our built-in AI assistant is designed to support patients in the following ways:

Breaking down medical terminology into plain language.
Offering guidance on what to expect during their ED visit.
Providing simple emotional reassurance during long waits.

Patient Comfort Features

Feature	Benefit
Privacy Mode	Discrete viewing on personal devices
Share Access	Family can track progress remotely
Accessibility	Screen reader & high contrast support

How we built it

WaitWell combines modern technology with compassionate design:

const stack = {
  frontend: ["React", "ShadcnUI", "WebSocket"],
  backend: ["Flask", "SQLite", "OpenAPI"],
  ai: ["OpenAI Whisper + TTS-1", "Google Gemini"],
  focus: "Patient Experience"
}

Challenges we ran into

Resolving Merge Conflicts: With a collaborative team working simultaneously, handling merge conflicts was a time-consuming but necessary part of the process.
Accessibility Design: Ensuring the platform was truly inclusive and usable for all patients, regardless of abilities or devices, took significant testing and iteration.
Balancing Privacy and Transparency: Striking the right balance between providing enough information to patients without compromising their personal or sensitive details was critical.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

"We didn't just build a waiting room display - we created a companion for the ED journey."

Creating a platform that respects the diverse needs of patients in a sensitive environment
Building an AI assistant that speaks in a way patients can understand and relate to
Designing features that cater to patients of all technological skill levels

What we learned

Our journey taught us that:

Transparency and clarity can significantly ease patient stress
Technology should adapt to meet human needs, not the other way around
Listening to patient feedback is essential for designing impactful solutions

What's next for WaitWell

Phase 1: Enhancement

Expanding multilingual support to cater to a broader range of languages, ensuring accessibility for all patients
Enhancing compatibility with mobile devices, including optimized layouts and improved app performance on smaller screens.