PatientPro Design Diary

Trouble on the Front

2005-04-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

The first half of the semester has almost left us--without a showable project. Although I expected a certain laxness due to it being our final term and all, at least one of our members is grossly negligent in his duties, leaving me wondering what escape route can deliver me from the deadlines.

It is the fate of teams and groups to encounter disharmony--the natural state of the universe is entropic. Remove accountability and you loose the dogs of war; good luck getting anything done! Still, we will press forward in the attempt to gain headway. Once more into the breach!

Layered Architecture

2005-03-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

PatientPro runs on a standard 3-level architecture which includes:

Client-level applications
Server-level applications
Backend database layer

The client level applications run on end-user machines, such as your PC or a mobile device such as a smart phone or PDA. They enable the user to work on patient data while at home or on-the-go, without need for Internet access. Information can then later be synchronized with the server to maintain data integrity.

Those not familiar with the purpose of layered architectures should find it interesting that the implementation of each layer can be changed internally while still maintaining the system's total functions. As long as there is a well defined interface for each layer, and that interface is immutable, the system will continue to function regardless of the inner-workings of each layer.
Architectural Diagram

Glossary of terms
data integrity - refers to the consistency of data and its quality as in corruption in the data induced by software or hardware

Choosing PatientPro

2005-03-24T22:11:00.000-08:00

Comming into this project, I had several ideas that I thought might be interesting and fun to pursue. The projects would be entertaining to design and program, yet technically impressive and nontrivial to implement.

1. Ecosystem Simulator
2. Finite State Automata and Particle Simulation
3. Java-Based Image Editor
4. Web-based Workflow Application
5. Network Packet Filter
6. Some sort of Game

The CS senior project is not only an assignment, but a competition against our peers. Although the prize for first place is a paltry five hundred dollars, split six ways, the props for winning are a geek's treasure!

Although I'd wanted to complete one of the projects above, I realized that these might not win us the prize. It seemed like the team I'd formed was set on winning, so we chose to do a project that Drexel's Nursing school had requested people to take on. We thought that since the project had the potential to be used, that we would have a greater chance of winning the grand prize.

PatientPro is an application run on PC or PDA that allows nursing students to work with patient data while satisfying legislative requirements such as HIPAA, which safeguards patients' privacy.

Before We Begin In Earnest

2005-03-24T04:00:00.000-08:00

As a prepubscent child, I had but a passing interest in computers. They were as enchanting in their use as edutainment devices--I must've hogged our classroom computer playing Oregon Trail for hours. I even got a chance to "program" in sixth grade, when we were introduced to Basic. I created a program to display an image of Darkwing Duck on screen by drawing the cartoon character on graph paper and plotting pixels by hand--I felt like I was on the bleeding edge of technology. Still, at home, I didn't have a computer, and to aggravate matters, I had a Nintendo. So, instead of becoming profiecient with computers at an early age, I learned to excel at video games.

My highschool years offered increased contact with computers at home and at school. My dad purchased a gleaming new Gateway (which still served as the family's main computer until a couple months ago), a Pentium II 233 with 10 gigabytes of space. At the time, it cost a couple thousand dollars. At school, we had rows of computers, but they were Macs, and I hated Macs.

My interest in computers mushroomed when I took my first real programming class. We used Borland's Turbo C compiler to do trivial tasks that I excelled at. My senior year, I decided to go to Drexel University to study Computer Science, and I took the Computer Science AP* class at my high school. It was an interesting class that gave me lots of things to talk about when I went to my scholarship interview at Drexel. I was able to talk to Professor Bruce Char about things like linked lists and recursion**.

I've been blessed with the chance to do pretty much anything I want to do in life--it's a rare gift that the best of us never receive. So, why did I choose to major in Computer Science?

I love computers!
I am part idealist and part pramatist, and the job outlook for computer science graduates was looking pretty good in 2000.

These past five years, there have been many times when the work seemed impossible to finish, or the rewards too little to drive me forward. Still, I have learned so much, and have had fun doing it. My love of computers has only become deeper, an intimate relationship cultivated over several years.

Now, everything I have learned in college will be tested with one final project. To me, my success or failure with this project will measure the progress I have made these passed five years. That project is PatientPro.

* I received a 1 on the Computer Science AP test, the lowest score one can receive on an AP test.
** I am happy to report that after five years of CS, I can finally explain the Towers of Hanoi (kind of).