Inspiration
When diagnosed with severe vertigo at 18, it was almost impossible to imagine a way forward. With no specialist availability for months, I was lucky enough that my mom was able to find a care provider who could help me. Once I was back in working condition, the experience got me thinking: how can we make it easier for people to get the care that they need during the wait for a specialist?
What it does
With Access, patients use our filter system to sort through registered providers and practitioners based on their needs, preferences, and location. By combining your input with our service registry, we simplify the search and make finding care easier.
How we built it
We built Access using PHP, MySQL, and the Gemini 2.5 Flash API. The frontend uses custom HTML/CSS with responsive design and smooth scrolling. The backend geocodes user addresses via OpenStreetMap's Nominatim API, queries a MySQL database of providers, and sends patient data to Gemini to intelligently match them with the best-fit healthcare providers. Results are dynamically parsed into clickable links for maps, websites, and contact info.
Challenges we ran into
Getting Gemini to consistently format responses in a parseable structure required multiple prompt iterations and custom PHP parsing logic. We also struggled with performance optimization - balancing the number of providers sent to the API with response speed. Cross-browser CSS consistency for form elements and the loading spinner took several attempts to get right.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Successfully integrated AI-powered matching that considers demographics, location, and symptoms - not just keywords. Built a complete end-to-end solution from landing page to actionable results. Created an accessible, user-friendly interface that makes finding healthcare stress-free. Integrated real providers and built a system that scales across the GTA.
What we learned
Prompt engineering is crucial - clear formatting instructions and constraints are essential for consistent AI outputs. Learned API integration best practices including error handling, timeouts, and response validation. Discovered the importance of accessibility in healthcare tech, from inclusive form options to clear medical disclaimers. Learned to balance thoroughness with speed when optimizing for user experience.
What's next for Access: Find better care.
As of right now, this is a proof of concept, and in future, we would like to add things like an embedded map, real providers, and optimized load times.
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