Smart Queue and Crowd Monitoring System

A mobile-first hospital queue management system with QR-based registration, department-based queue segmentation, waiting time prediction, and a publicly accessible live dashboard.

Features

• QR-Based Registration: Patients scan a QR code at hospital entrance and register via mobile web interface
• Department-Based Queues: 5 separate queues for different hospital services
• Real-Time Updates: Live dashboard updates every 5 seconds, patient status updates every 10 seconds
• Waiting Time Prediction: Intelligent estimation based on queue position and average service time
• Crowd Level Monitoring: Color-coded indicators (Green/Yellow/Red) for department and hospital-wide crowd levels
• Mobile-First Design: Optimized for smartphones with touch-friendly buttons and responsive layout
• Medical Theme: Clean, professional design with blue, white, and green color scheme

Technology Stack

• Backend: Python Flask with SQLAlchemy ORM
• Database: SQLite
• Frontend: HTML5, CSS3, Vanilla JavaScript
• Real-Time Updates: AJAX polling

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8 or higher
• pip (Python package manager)

Setup Instructions

1. Clone or navigate to the project directory:

   cd Team-6-Project_Building

2. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Run the application:

   python app.py

4. Access the application:

   • Open your browser and navigate to: http://localhost:5000
   • For mobile testing on the same network: http://[your-computer-ip]:5000

QR Code Setup

To create a QR code for hospital entrance:

1. Generate QR Code pointing to your application URL:

   • For local testing: http://[your-computer-ip]:5000/
   • For production: https://yourdomain.com/

2. QR Code Generation Options:

   • Use online QR generators (e.g., qr-code-generator.com)
   • Or use Python's qrcode library:

     import qrcode
     qr = qrcode.make('http://your-url:5000/')
     qr.save('hospital_entrance_qr.png')

3. Print and Display the QR code at hospital entrance

Application Structure

Team-6-Project_Building/
├── app.py                      # Main Flask application
├── requirements.txt            # Python dependencies
├── README.md                   # This file
├── hospital_queue.db          # SQLite database (auto-created)
├── static/
│   └── css/
│       └── style.css          # Responsive CSS with medical theme
└── templates/
    ├── base.html              # Base template
    ├── landing.html           # Landing page (QR entry point)
    ├── register.html          # Queue registration form
    ├── status.html            # Patient status tracker
    └── dashboard.html         # Live public dashboard

Available Departments

1. 👨‍⚕️ Doctor Consultation (15 min avg service time)
2. 💊 Pharmacy / Medicine Pickup (5 min avg service time)
3. 🩸 Blood Test / Laboratory (10 min avg service time)
4. 🔬 Radiology / Scanning (X-ray, MRI, CT) (20 min avg service time)
5. 📄 Medical Report Collection (3 min avg service time)

API Endpoints

Public Endpoints

• GET / - Landing page
• GET /register - Registration form
• POST /register - Submit registration
• GET /status/<user_id> - User status page
• GET /dashboard - Live public dashboard

API Endpoints

• GET /api/department_status - Department-wise queue data (JSON)
• GET /api/hospital_overview - Hospital-wide metrics (JSON)
• GET /api/patient_status/<patient_id> - Individual patient status (JSON)
• GET /api/waiting_patients - List of all waiting patients (JSON)
• POST /api/leave_queue - Patient leaves/cancels queue registration (JSON)
• POST /api/mark_served - Mark patient as served (JSON)

Usage Flow

For Patients

1. Scan QR Code at hospital entrance
2. Enter Details: Name/Patient ID and select department
3. Receive Queue Number with estimated waiting time
4. Monitor Status: Auto-refreshing status page shows live position
5. Get Notified: When position approaches, head to department

For Hospital Staff

1. View Dashboard: Monitor all department queues in real-time
2. Track Crowd Levels: Color-coded indicators show busy departments
3. Manage Flow: Use insights to allocate resources

Crowd Level Classification

Per Department

• Low (Green): 0-10 patients
• Moderate (Yellow): 11-25 patients
• High (Red): 26+ patients

Hospital-Wide

• Low (Green): 0-40 patients
• Moderate (Yellow): 41-80 patients
• High (Red): 81+ patients

Waiting Time Calculation

Estimated Waiting Time = (Position in Queue - 1) × Average Service Time

Example: If you're 5th in line for Doctor Consultation (15 min avg):

Waiting Time = (5 - 1) × 15 = 60 minutes

Testing the Application

Manual Testing

1. Register multiple patients in different departments
2. Open dashboard in another tab to see live updates
3. Monitor status page to see position changes
4. Test on mobile device for responsive design

Mark Patient as Served (Testing)

Use the API endpoint to simulate patient service:

curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/api/mark_served \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"patient_id": 1}'

Leave Queue (Patient Self-Service)

Patients can leave the queue using the "Leave Queue" button on their status page, or via API:

curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/api/leave_queue \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"patient_id": 1}'

Auto-Timeout (No-Show Management)

Patients are automatically removed from the queue if they don't show up within their estimated waiting time plus a grace period.

Configuration:

• Grace Period: 5 minutes (configurable in app.py as TIMEOUT_GRACE_PERIOD)
• Calculation: Registration Time + Estimated Wait Time + Grace Period
• Status: Timed-out patients are marked as 'timeout'

Example:

• Patient registers at 14:00
• Estimated wait time: 15 minutes
• Grace period: 5 minutes
• Auto-removal time: 14:20 (14:00 + 15 + 5)

The timeout check runs automatically on every dashboard and API refresh.

Mobile Optimization

• ✅ Responsive design (mobile-first approach)
• ✅ Touch-friendly buttons (minimum 48px height)
• ✅ Large, readable fonts
• ✅ High contrast for accessibility
• ✅ Fast loading with minimal dependencies
• ✅ Works offline after initial load (static assets cached)

Browser Compatibility

• Chrome/Edge (recommended)
• Firefox
• Safari (iOS/macOS)
• Mobile browsers (Android/iOS)

Future Enhancements

• SMS/Email notifications when turn approaches
• Flask-SocketIO for WebSocket-based real-time updates
• Admin panel for managing departments and service times
• Patient history and analytics
• Multi-language support
• PWA (Progressive Web App) for offline functionality
• Integration with hospital management systems

Troubleshooting

Database Issues

If you encounter database errors, delete hospital_queue.db and restart the application. The database will be recreated automatically.

Port Already in Use

If port 5000 is already in use, modify the last line in app.py:

app.run(debug=True, host='0.0.0.0', port=5001)  # Change port number

Mobile Access Issues

Ensure your mobile device is on the same network and firewall allows connections to port 5000.

License

This project is created for educational purposes.

Support

For issues or questions, please refer to the implementation documentation.

---

Built with ❤️ for better hospital queue management