Health-Code Map

Introduction
Pertinent Issues
Future Possibilities

Inspiration for Health-Code Map

Epidemiological Mapping for Improved Healthcare Screening Physicians traditionally rely on patient reports and medical records when performing their diagnosis. However, a patient’s medical conditions and treatment options can wildly vary depending on a variety of factors including living environment, race, regional statistics and socioeconomic status. Often, physicians do not assess the impact of the patient’s living environment on health outcomes. As a result, physicians defer to following a standard protocol rather than personalizing the care. This leads to unnecessary expenses and reduced quality and accuracy of care for the patient.

What it does

We created a resource map that can overlay with Google Maps, so when a patient’s zip code is referenced, certain health metrics will populate and can be cross referenced with epidemiological data that are relevant for that patient’s personalized care. Eg: inputting a pediatric patient’s zip code to determine if this child lives in an area where they should be lead tested.

How we built it

We built this by creating an HTML file that utilizes Google Map's API so we could create a heatmap overlay. Once we received an API Key, we compressed and organized data points of latitude and longitude that correlated with topical medical concerns. We collected this data from the department of Public Health of Maryland and presented it in a manner to demonstrate the mapping of health risks and intervention opportunities on selected health metrics.

Challenges we ran into

The biggest challenge was thinking of how to overlay a heatmap of data points. It took a while to figure out how to find an API key and what language we wanted to use. Initially, we tried to use an android app and emulator, but we realized this task would much better be accomplished via HTML given the time limits. We plan on making a mobile application of Health-Code Map to improve practically so physicians can quickly access information.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud to have created an original project that would improve patient care and safety, save healthcare dollars, and recognize immigrant health. We're also proud to have figured out and learned HTML. It was exciting to learn such an applicable skill in such a short amount of time.

What we learned

We learned basic HTML and how to use APIs to help with various projects.

What's next for Health-Code Map:

We will further this project by addressing more epidemiological issues specific to other states and regions of the country. In the future, we would be able to apply this worldwide with risk factors for many types of health concerns. In addition, we would add more features that can enhance the user interface and experience by displaying evidence based healthcare suggestions with the data presented to further augment healthcare provider decision-making.