Postgraduate Thesis Project

Healthcare Framework using Design Patterns: A .NET Implementation

My master thesis project in Malaysia University of Science and Technology was building a Healthcare Framework using Design Pattern. It involved a deeper study into software object-oriented and design pattern concept. The project was trying to propose the idea of building a reusable and extensible framework in order to shorten the time and effort in developing similar applications in a same industry.

Healthcare automation is the solution for reducing paperwork, cut down manual expenses, enabling managers and other healthcare professionals to access to patient healthcare information with ease. Automation helps clinics and hospitals creating standard for their work and increase efficiency. Every year a considerably high expenditure is spent on healthcare IT in Malaysia. The problem is that there are a lot of manual tasks in handling of healthcare information. This expenditure can be reduced with better information management. The proposed idea is implementing a computerized healthcare information system to handle all the manual tasks in clinics or hospitals. The solution is to develop a Healthcare Framework.

The healthcare framework is comprised of reusable objects arranged using design patterns. The reusable components include commonly performed tasks important within the healthcare domain. These tasks include forms management, database management and network resource management. The framework architecture is divided into subsystem which includes database, forms and web services subsystem running on Microsoft .NET framework. Research for developing this healthcare framework includes object-oriented framework and design patterns. The healthcare framework can then be used to develop a more complete healthcare information system. Object-oriented framework provides flexible implementation of healthcare information system. It allows developers to develop Healthcare Information System quickly and inexpensively at the same time ensuring system quality.

This project presents a prototype framework in order to demonstrate its viability. Design patterns are the core practices to go along in order to construct an adaptable and yet stable Healthcare Framework. Components decoupling and objects cohesion are the main focus of design patterns. Healthcare Framework offers a new approach for developing healthcare information system. It provides necessary healthcare components and utilities but it also restricts system designer to follow certain design formation. The scalability, reliability and security of Healthcare Framework have not been justified decisively. However, this framework can be expanded to incorporate more research components like data warehousing module, wireless healthcare emergency monitoring system and disability component in future.

Healthcare Framework is meant to be extensible and reusable. That is the unique feature of object-oriented system design. Object-oriented design can fully exploit the flexibility provided by design patterns. In fact, design patterns can be used for non-OO design. However, there are some system design limitations in the non-OO design environment. With object-oriented Healthcare Framework as the foundation, future modules and enhancements can be easily redesigned and incorporated.

For further research and more detail information, please download my project source code, full thesis report and summary paper from the links below:

Form-Based Healthcare Solution

Web-Based Healthcare Solution

Thesis Report (PDF & DOC)

Thesis Summary Paper

Below here shows you some project screen captures.