Kamalesh K

FlowCare – Real-Time Patient Queue Management & QR Tracking System

Patients in clinics often face uncertainty while waiting because traditional token systems only display numbers without providing real-time updates. They do not know their position in the queue, estimated wait time, or when they will be called. This leads to repeated questions at reception, increased staff workload, missed turns, and a frustrating waiting-room experience. So I saw it as an opportunity to improve transparency by providing patients with live queue tracking, status updates, and instant access through QR codes without requiring app installation. Process I studied common clinic workflows and identified three major pain points: queue uncertainty, missed calls, and receptionist overload. My initial idea was a simple token display system, but it failed to provide meaningful updates to patients. So, I redesigned the experience around real-time visibility and built a QR-based tracking system that allows patients to view their live queue status directly from a browser. I implemented Socket.IO for instant updates, added estimated wait-time calculation, call-next workflows, missed-patient handling, recall functionality, and TV display integration. Finally, I deployed the complete solution using React, TypeScript, Node.js, Supabase, and Render. Results Successfully built and deployed a real-time patient queue management platform with QR-based tracking, live announcements, and instant queue updates. Patients can monitor their status without installing an application, while receptionists manage queues more efficiently through a centralized dashboard. The solution supports call-next workflows, missed-patient handling, recalls, wait-time estimation, and TV display integration, creating a more transparent and organized clinic experience. Reflection If I had more time, I would conduct structured usability testing with clinic staff and patients to validate assumptions and collect measurable feedback. While the current solution successfully delivers real-time tracking and queue management, user testing could reveal opportunities to simplify workflows, improve accessibility, and optimize wait-time predictions. I would also explore SMS/WhatsApp notifications and multilingual support to improve adoption across different patient groups.