Clinic Management System Capstone Project Document

Introduction

In today’s modern age where computer has become a way of life, it is evident that a majority of the country’s institutions still do not adapt the high technology.  Particularly in most medical clinic facilities, daily clinic transactions are still done on paper.   We all know that modern clinics are now operating at great pace striving to serve as many patients as possible with the best of their abilities.  But as the years rolled by, the number of patients has grown and various medical cases arise that the manual method of managing patients’ records, prescriptions, billing and appointment schedule, is no longer practical.

In this study, we hope to develop a web-based application that will minimize all paper works and manual records keeping, therefore allowing doctors and staff ease in keeping track of patients, reducing patients’ waiting time and increasing the number of patients served – a system that is fully automated, user-friendly, time effective and efficient.

Background of the Study

Now more than ever, people have become more health conscious and are taking necessary steps to ensure that they have a sound body and mind – that is why everyday many people come to clinics or health facility for check-ups and treatments.  A medical clinic is primarily devoted to the diagnosis and care of patients.  Basically, patients spend a substantial amount of time in clinics waiting for services to be delivered by the doctor or health professional.  The degree to which the patients are satisfied with the care received is relative not only to the doctors’ expertise in their field, but also to the quality of the clinic management.  And we all know that as the number of patients continually increase, managing a clinic can also become increasingly difficult, especially if everything is done manually.

Objectives of the Study

General Objective:

The general objective of this study is to design and develop an online clinic management solution that will serve as proposal to help doctors save time and resources with the automation of its daily clinic operations.

Specific Objective:

• To computerize records keeping of patients;
• To allow doctors to retrieve complete patient history instantly;
• To automate billing statement and official receipt;
• To automate medical prescriptions and medical certificate.

Assumptions

            This study is conducted based on the following assumptions:

1.)   That the doctors and staff will use the proposed system;

2.)  That the current clinic management is done manually and now requires   automation.

Hypothesis of the Study

The proposed online clinic management system will greatly improve the efficiency and quality of care in clinical practice.  Primarily, this study has the following hypothesis:

The profiles of the respondents taken are their age, gender, occupation and civil status.  The manual system is very time consuming, inconvenient and strenuous when it comes to recording, updating, storing, organizing, and retrieving patient’s records in the cabinet.  The proposed online system is the best solution to do away with the old method of data keeping such as folders and file cabinets, which do not allow easy retrieval.    Not only will records be more accurate, the clinic can also accommodate more patients than ever before

Statement of the Problem

Specifically, this study aims to answer the following:

• What are the profiles of the respondents in terms of:

1.1  Occupation;

1.2  Age;

1.3  Gender;

1.4  Civil Status?

• What are the common problems encountered with the existing manual system of managing a clinic?
• What are the possible solutions to the problems encountered with the current system?
• What is the difference between the manual system and the proposed system?

Scope and Delimitation

In general, the focus of this study is directed towards the design and development of an online clinic management system.  About five small to medium sized medical clinics with its doctors, staff and patients are randomly selected within Cebu area only from December 2007 to January 2008.  The study is largely dependent on the honesty, sincerity and integrity of the respondents.

In this proposed system, records and files are computerized and stored online for accessibility and portability.  However, the proponents limit the online feature of the system to doctors and staff only.  Web-access of the patients is not included.  The system has a secure log-in for doctors and staff.  Managing appointments is also integrated and billing statements and official receipts are automated as well as medical prescriptions and medical certificates.

Significance of the Study

Socio-economic significance.  In this study, the proposed system will inspire other students to develop an effective and efficient system.

Technological significance.  The proposed system will introduce technology to the medical clinics that are until now adapting the manual method of clinic management.

The result of this study is beneficial to the following:

Clinic.  The proposed system will simplify and automate everyday clinic tasks and can help maximize time spent with clients thereby providing better service making it more profitable.

Doctors.  The proposed system will make it easier for the doctors to manage the clinic and convenient when it comes to retrieving patient records.

Doctor’s staff.  Doctor’s secretary and staff can benefit a lot from this study, as they are an integral part of the whole clinic management.

Patients.  Patients are the doctor’s principal assets.  And the reason why this study is conducted is to provide a solution to doctors’ need to better serve their patients.

Researchers.  The researchers have developed their writing, analysis, and interpretation skills needed to make a good thesis.

Future Researchers.  This will benefit other researchers who wish to have similar studies as they can get background information from the result of this study which will serve as template to modify their research.