Online Health Center System

Development of Online Appointment and Document Processing System of Health Center

• The study focuses on developing an online system for health centers to address long waiting times, misplaced records, and inefficiency caused by traditional manual methods.

Introduction

• The capstone project aims to accelerate appointment scheduling and streamline document management through online access.
• Aims to reduce staff workload, minimize errors, improve patient satisfaction, and digitize processes.
• The goal is to equip health centers to manage increasing demands and maintain accurate and timely service delivery.

Background of the Study

• Automation and digitization have propelled healthcare expansion and introduced new treatment models, which have increased the demand for efficient healthcare services.
• This has driven interest in developing online appointment and document processing systems to streamline administration and improve patient engagement.
• Manual processes in health centers lead to long waiting times, patient frustration, and errors in data management.

Proposed System Features

• The capstone project proposes a comprehensive online appointment and document processing system for health centers.
• The system will include an user-friendly Interface, Apache Airflow for workflow automation, and blockchain for securing document submissions.
• Implementation of the system aligns to improving healthcare delivery, patient outcomes, and the overall digital transformation of health centers.

Statement of the Problem

• The absence of affordable and user-friendly digital systems in small health centers is relevant across many industries.
• The goal is to streamline appointment booking, improve document access, and reduce workload in the health center by developing an online system.

Study Questions

The study seeks to answer these questions:

• What challenges do health centers face when manually managing appointments and processing?
• How can an online system reduce waiting times and long lines?
• What features ensure user-friendliness for both health workers and patients?
• How can the system improve data accuracy, security, and confidentiality in handling patient records and medical documents?
• What issues might arise from the use and adoption of the system by workers and patients?

Project Objectives

• The primary objective is to develop and implement an online system for health centers that is tailored to patient needs and streamlines operations.
• To design a secure and user-friendly system for organizing and managing documents.
• The system will automate tasks such as appointment confirmations, reminders, and paperwork.

Target Users

• Patients can register, manage accounts, book appointments, and process documents.
• Administrators ensure the system runs efficiently.
• Healthcare staff can view, approve, reschedule appointments, and communicate with patients for document processing.

Significance of the Study

• Improves efficiency and accessibility in barangay health centers.
• A digital solution of appointments and document processing.

Benefits to Stakeholders

• Health Center Staff: Reduced workload and focus on patient care through automation.
• Patients/Residents: Convenient booking and document requests without in-person visits.
• IT Developers and System Designers: Opportunity to build localized, affordable systems.
• Public Health Sector: Modernized health services and improved data management.
• Students and Researchers: Inspiration for digital transformation studies in public health.
• Senior Citizens and PWDs: Easier access to healthcare by minimizing physical effort and time.

Scope

The project:

• Develops an Online Appointment/Document Processing System to enhance patient care.
• Handling patient health records and scheduling Doctor's appointments.
• Crucial for interpreting accurate results.

Target Population

• Outpatients, department members, and the head administrator of the Health Center will be covered.

Geographical Focus

• The healthcare center in Barangay Sun Valley, Parañaque City is the focus.

Time Frame

• The project will run for six months, from February 2025 to August 2025.

Key Features

• Document Scanner: Users/patients can scan and store physical documents.
• Document Transfer: Documents can be sent directly to the admin's system.
• Automated Appointing Schedules: Appointment is automatically confirmed based on patient and doctor availability.

Delimitation

• The system is limited to Barangay Sun Valley, Paranaque City.
• No other barangays or cities are covered.
• Sample & size selection, time constraints, focus on a specific population/condition, and data collection are all limited.
• Only outpatients in the health center will be focused on.

Review of Related Literature: Importance of Online Appointment Systems

• The Manila Health Department implemented a Patient Appointment System (PAS) to reduce congestion in community health centers.
• Software allowed patients to book appointments online, reducing queues and improving time management for patients and staff.
• Online vaccine appointment scheduling systems with geo-tagging reduced workload and increased immunization participation by 28%.
• Healthcare service demand is rising, leading to long waits and overcrowded areas.
• Effective Appointment Schedule systems is essential for overall patient satisfaction and resource allocation.
• Traditional first-come, first-served systems do not address urgency levels.
• The Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) and NSGA-II enhance fairness, reduce waiting time, and improve patient satisfaction.

Patient Satisfaction

• Patient satisfaction is an important indicator of well appointment systems work.
• Overall satisfaction rate was around 49 out of 100
• Accessibility and easy-to-use lead to highest satisfaction ratings
• Web-based systems are preferred by Internet users, with telephone users preferring IVR.

Process Management and Efficiency

• Process management and improvement techniques can enhance hospital efficiency.
• Inefficient appointment scheduling is shown to negatively affect service quality and patient satisfaction.
• Appointment processing times reduced by 21.52% with implementation of an appointment scheduling system
• Patient compliance improved from 90% to 95%
• Volume increased by 32%, and customer satisfaction rose to 63% to 89%.

Document Processing in Healthcare

• Traditional storage of laboratory requests and medical certifications involves paper formats.
• Lee and Mendoza proposed an electronic document management system for rural clinics.
• The study determined that remote document processing enabled online document issuing
• Reduced operative errors and increased issuance times by up to 60%.
• A PhilHealth project in Quezon Province used eRecords and eReferrals, enhancing healthcare delivery by allowing faster document access for community health officers.

Data Extraction and AI

• Improving the extraction of patient data, doctor names, and requests from scanned documents for EHRs via a hybrid AI model (LayoutLMv3).
• High accuracy with the AI model, improving referrals.
• Dataset labeling inconsistencies, is a hinderance to AI identification.
• Creating standardized datasets and using hybrid techniques could improve AI models.

Blockchain Technology

• Blockchain impacts and enhances the security and privacy of medical data (EHRs and PHRs), which helps keep data secure and protect patients.
• Providing patients control over data access via smart contracts and restricted system access to authorized users, requires blockchain implementation.
• Scalability and Interoperability are issues
• Handling large amounts of data and sharing data across systems with different structures is a challenge.
• Focusing on developing blockchain technology to handle and share medical data while maintaining security, privacy, and international law compliance is essential.

Natural Language Processing (NLP)

• Natural Language Processing (NLP) helps to understand unstructured data like clinical text and medical images in Electronic Health Records.
• This Data is usually harder to analyze than structured data.
• NLP finds information in clinical text such as symptoms and medication issues.
• Aids in making clinical decisions and improving patient safety.
• Combining structured and unstructured data is a challenge
• Developing methods to improve AI decisions and use tools for healthcare is essential.

User-Centered Design

• Explains Filipino end-user involvement in the quality/design of mobile health (mHealth) technologies during COVID-19.
• It emphasizes user experience (UX) design for digital health system development, with UX principles making the system effective and user-friendly, especially in public health crises.
• The study suggests the average development cost of a mobile health application in the Philippines is approximately ₱4 million, including designing features, setting up, testing, and maintenance.

Interoperability

• Interoperability exchanges information and data, which is still challenging in the Philippines.
• "Discoursing Terminology Standards and Interoperability" highlights the importance of terminology and the lack of standardized system for data sharing, which impairs patient information exchange.
• This can lead to incomplete records, delays, and inefficiencies that require Developers to address.

Evaluation and Impact

• Executive Order 170 requires all government agencies to implement digital payments and electronic services is driven digitally
• The National eHealth Strategic Framework and Plan (2023-2028) aims to implement digital solutions for scheduling and electronic documentation in all healthcare facilities.

Blockchain Application

• Blockchain in healthcare manages databases, enhances security, and regulates biotechnology and patient health records, creating a trustworthy value chain due to its immutable and transparent nature.
• Blockchain establishes performance metrics for data accuracy and ensures health centers adhere to data safety procedures.

Importance of User Feedback

• Absence of supervision and feedback was why medical documentation was not done well in Ethiopian private hospitals.
• End-user feedback enables developers and medical professionals to identify and resolve problems with the system to improve accountability, documentation, and usefulness.