Empowering Healthcare with Innovative Solutions: A Microsoft Power Apps Project (UCL x NHS)

 

Introduction:

Greetings, fellow enthusiasts of technology and innovation! Today, I'm excited to share an incredible journey undertaken by our team of four UCL MSc Computer Science students. Over the past three months, we've had the privilege of working on three transformative projects aimed at optimizing healthcare operations using Microsoft Power Platform. Allow me to take you through the remarkable venture that is Bed Management Power Apps, TasCare, and E-Rostering Power Apps.

 

Meet the Team:

Before we dive into the projects, let me introduce our talented team:

1. Judy Chin
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judy-giaying-chin/
- Project team lead; Developer of TasCare

2. Lee-Yu Yeh
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeyu-yeh-67378b20a/ 
- Developer of E-Rostering Manager App

3. Tania Turdean
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tania-turdean-8530aa160/ 
- Developer of E-Rostering Power Apps User App

4. Wenjin Yang
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wenjin-yang-28a481256/ 
- Developer of Bed Management Power Apps

 

Project Overview:

Our journey began with a mission to address critical issues in healthcare and social care management. The three projects – Bed Management Power Apps, TasCare, and E-Rostering Power Apps – were crafted to streamline processes, enhance efficiency, and provide impactful solutions to real-world problems.

 

Project Journey:

Navigating the intricate world of healthcare, our team encountered challenges and triumphs alike. We meticulously developed low-code, hybrid applications using Microsoft Power Apps to adapt seamlessly to mobile or web platforms. Challenges such as complex bed management systems and time-consuming shift scheduling were tackled head-on, with innovative solutions emerging at every turn. Through weekly Teams calls with our external supervisor Stephanie Stasey, we quickly understood the current hot issues in healthcare and dived into solving the problems via Microsoft technologies.

 

Technical Details:

In the realm of technology, specifics matter. The Microsoft Power Platform became our ally, empowering us to create solutions that are both dynamic and user-friendly. Bed Management Power Apps, TasCare, and E-Rostering Power Apps were carefully designed, leveraging the capabilities of Power Apps to bring efficiency to healthcare operations. 

Using Power Apps as our main developing environment, which not only boasts the advantage of low-code but also, can easily seamlessly be combined with other Microsoft Power Platform technologies.

 

• Dataverse, SharePoint - Seamless connection to Bed Management App live data

 

• Power Automate - Regeneration of repeat tasks daily, weekly, and monthly in TasCare

 

• High-complexity, low-code application - E-Rostering Power Apps

 

App Details & Demos:

See our project website for more details: UCL Power Apps For NHS 

 

Bed Management Power Apps

Bed Management Power Apps address the challenge within hospitals where intricate bed management systems impede the efficiency of tasks such as patient admissions and discharges.

• Github Solution: Bed Management Power Apps Solution 
• Demo Video: 

 

 

 

TasCare

TasCare strives to assist workers in organizing their daily responsibilities through a mobile app, offering various features like documenting refusals and reporting incidents.

• See Details and App Solution: TasCare - A Social Care Task Management Power Apps
• Demo:
  

 

 

E-Rostering Power Apps

E-Rostering Power Apps addresses the challenge faced by hospital ward managers who spend extensive hours managing and scheduling shifts, presenting a streamlined and dependable system as the solution.

• Solution: Please see our project website for details
• Demo: (Admin App & User App)

 

 

 

Results and Outcomes:

The culmination of our efforts has led to tangible results. Whether it's the expedited bed management processes, the streamlined social care task management through TasCare, or the simplified shift scheduling with E-Rostering Power Apps. 

These application solutions are open to download and import to your own environment as solutions. See more in the individual project pages above.

 

Reflections

Reflecting on this journey, we've grown not only as developers but as problem solvers. The challenges we faced taught us resilience, adaptability, and the importance of collaboration. Each hurdle was an opportunity for personal and professional growth.

 

A heartfelt appreciation extends to Microsoft, Stephanie Stasey, and the NHS for their pivotal roles in our healthcare innovation journey. Microsoft's cutting-edge Power Platform empowered us to develop transformative solutions, while Stephanie Stasey's guidance on the healthcare sector served as a guiding light, shaping our project's success. The NHS's commitment to embracing technology and improving healthcare services provided us with a meaningful platform to make a positive impact. Together, this collaboration symbolizes the fusion of technology and compassion, driving us towards a future where healthcare is not just efficient but profoundly human. Our sincere thanks to these partners for their unwavering support, commitment to innovation, and the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of healthcare. 

 

Future Development:

As we look to the future, our commitment to innovation remains unwavering. We envision enhancements, additional features, and further research to continually refine and expand the impact of Bed Management Power Apps, TasCare, and E-Rostering Power Apps. The journey doesn’t end here; it's a stepping stone to greater possibilities.

 

Conclusion:

In conclusion, this journey has been nothing short of transformative. We've witnessed the power of technology to revolutionize healthcare and social care, making a positive impact on the lives of professionals and, ultimately, the patients they serve. Our journey has only just begun, and the potential for further innovation is boundless.

 

Are you intrigued by the intersection of technology and healthcare? Explore the Microsoft Learn Modules/Docs related to Power Platform to delve deeper into the tools that fueled our journey. Engage with us, ask questions, and let's continue this dialogue for a brighter, more efficient future in healthcare.

 

Thank you for joining us on this adventure – together, we can shape a healthier, technologically empowered world.