Inspiration
When you are prescribed medication by a Doctor, it is crucial that you complete the dosage cycle in order to ensure that you recover fully and quickly. Unfortunately forgetting to take your medication is something that we have all done. Failing to run the full course of medicine often results in a delayed recovery and leads to more suffering through the painful and annoying symptoms of illness. This has inspired us to create Re-Pill. With Re-Pill, you can automatically generate scheduling and reminders to take you medicine by simply uploading a photo of your prescription.
What it does
A user uploads an image of their prescription which is then processed by image to text algorithms that extract the details of the medication. Data such as the name of the medication, its dosage, and total tablets is stored and presented to the user. The application synchronizes with google calendar and automatically sets reminders for taking pills into the user's schedule based on the dosage instructions on the prescription. The user can view their medication details at any time by logging into Re-Pill.
How we built it
We built the application using the Python web framework Flask. Simple endpoints were created for login, registration, and viewing of the user's medication. User data is stored in Google Cloud's Firestore. Images are uploaded and sent to a processing endpoint through a HTTP Request which delivers the medication information. Reminders are set using the Google Calendar API.
Challenges we ran into
We initially struggled to figure out the right tech-stack to use for building the app. We struggled with Android development before settling for a web-app. One big challenge we faced was to merge all the different part of our application into one smoothly running product. Another challenge was finding a method to inform/notify the user of his/her medication time through a web-based application.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
There are a couple of things that we are proud of. One of them is how well our team was able to communicate with one another. All team members knew what the other members were working on and the work was divided in such a manner that all teammates worked on the projects using his/her strengths. One important accomplishment is that we were able to overcome a huge time constraint and come up with a prototype of an idea that has potential to change people's lives.
What we learned
We learned how to set up and leverage Google API's, manage non-relational databases and process image to text using various python libraries.
What's next for Re-Pill
The next steps for Re-Pill would be to move to a mobile environment and explore useful features that we can implement. Building a mobile application would make it easier for the user to stay connected with the schedules and upload prescription images at a click of a button using the built in camera. Some features we hope to explore are creating automated activities, such as routine appointment bookings with the family doctor and monitoring dietary considerations with regards to stronger medications that might conflict with a patients diet.
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