DEVELOPMENT OF A WEB-BASED TELEMEDICINE PLATFORM (MEDASSIST)

This project focuses on the design, development, and partial evaluation of a web-based telemedicine platform that aims to enhance healthcare accessibility by enabling remote consultations between patients and certified doctors. The platform was conceptualized in response to the growing need for digital health solutions, particularly in regions with limited access to physical healthcare infrastructure. Core features of the system include patient registration and login, medication reminder setup, and a consultation system where patients submit health-related queries through a structured form. Doctors, who are verified and approved through partnerships with hospitals, receive these consultation requests via email and through their secure portal. Based on the nature of the patient’s concerns, the doctor may either respond directly or recommend scheduling a physical appointment. The system also supports secure authentication using JSON Web Tokens (JWT), ensuring role-based access control between patients and doctors. The frontend was developed using React.js with Tailwind CSS for responsive styling, while the backend leverages Node.js with Express.js and MongoDB as the primary database. The implementation demonstrates how modern web technologies can be effectively harnessed to improve continuity of care, reduce unnecessary hospital visits, and foster better patient-doctor communication. Preliminary feedback from a small group of patients and doctors indicated positive usability and satisfaction with the core functionality. This project lays the groundwork for scalable digital health systems and opens avenues for further research into telehealth integration, including real-time communication, diagnostics, and patient monitoring.