Setting Up the Project Files for the Patient Management System

This guide will show you how to build a simple patient management system using Python and a basic web framework. In this version (v0), you do not have access to a terminal. Therefore, we will add code directly into our file to handle dependency installation. You will create a main file that holds all the application code.

• Create a new file in the v0 code editor and name it app.py.
• All the following code snippets will be placed into this file.

Installing Dependencies via Code

Because v0 does not allow using a terminal to install dependencies, we insert code at the top of app.py that attempts to import the required package. If the package is not found, the code calls the installer programmatically.

try:
    from flask import Flask, request, redirect, urlfor, rendertemplate\_string
except Exception:
    import pip
    pip.main(['install', 'Flask'])
    from flask import Flask, request, redirect, urlfor, rendertemplate\_string

This snippet ensures that if the Flask dependency is missing, it will be installed for you. Note that this automatic installation is used only because there is no terminal access in this environment.

Creating the In-Memory Database and Initializing the Flask App

You will use an in-memory list to store patient information. Later on, you could replace this with a real database. Add the following code after the dependency installation snippet in your app.py file.

Initialize the Flask application
app = Flask(name)

Create an in-memory database for patients
patients = []

Define a simple homepage that provides links to view or add patients
home\_page = """

  
  
    
Welcome to the Patient Management System
    View Patients
    


    Add New Patient
  

"""

This code sets up the main application object and a list called "patients" that will store all patient records. The HTML for the homepage includes links to view patients or to add a new one.

Creating the Homepage Endpoint

Next, add an endpoint for the home page. This endpoint will be the default view when someone visits the root URL. Insert the following code in your app.py file under the previous snippet.

@app.route("/")
def home():
    return home\_page

This function returns the homepage HTML.

Creating an Endpoint to View All Patients

Now, add an endpoint that shows all the patients currently stored in our in-memory database. This view will list each patient with their details.

@app.route("/patients")
def list\_patients():
    # Create an HTML table to list patient details
    table\_html = """
    
      
      
        
List of Patients
        
    """
    for index, patient in enumerate(patients):
        table\_html += ""
    table\_html += """
        

          

            
ID
            
Name
            
Age
          
" + str(index) + "
" + patient['name'] + "
" + str(patient['age']) + "
        

        Back to Home
      
    
    """
    return table\_html

This code creates a simple HTML table that displays each patient’s ID, name, and age. The patient ID is simply the index in the list.

Creating an Endpoint to Display the Add Patient Form

Add an endpoint to display a form for adding a new patient. This form will ask for the patient’s name and age.

@app.route("/add")
def addpatientform():
    form\_html = """
    
      
      
        
Add a New Patient
        

          Name: 
          


          Age: 
          


          
        
        

        Back to Home
      
    
    """
    return form\_html

This form sends a POST request to the same URL when submitted.

Creating an Endpoint to Process the New Patient Form

Add an endpoint to handle the submission of the add patient form. This endpoint retrieves the form data, stores it in the in-memory database, and then redirects the user to the list of patients.

@app.route("/add", methods=["POST"])
def add\_patient():
    # Retrieve the name and age from the form
    name = request.form.get("name")
    age = request.form.get("age")
    # Add the new patient to the in-memory database
    patients.append({"name": name, "age": int(age)})
    # Redirect the user to view all patients
    return redirect(urlfor("listpatients"))

This code processes the data from the form and appends a new patient record to the patients list. Then, it redirects the user to the page that lists all patients.

Running the Application

At the end of your app.py file, add the following code to run the Flask application. This tells the server to listen on any interface at port 8080. Insert the code as the last part of your file.

if name == "main":
    # Run the Flask web application on host 0.0.0.0 and port 8080
    app.run(host="0.0.0.0", port=8080)

This line starts the Flask application when the script is executed. Since v0 binds to dynamic ports, the configuration ensures that the application is accessible.

Viewing and Testing Your Patient Management System

After saving your changes in app.py, click the Run button provided in your v0 environment. Once the application starts, it will expose a URL. Visit this URL in your browser to view the homepage. You can then navigate to add new patients and see them listed.

Wrapping Up

This guide has walked you through creating a basic patient management system using Python and Flask with manual dependency installation handled directly in the code. For every new change in this version, simply update app.py and click Run to see the results.

Prerequisites

Before starting, gather a few basic items to help you build the Patient management system v0. You should have a computer with an internet connection, and it is recommended to install Python. It also helps to have some very basic understanding of how web applications work and what a database is used for.

• A computer with Python installed (visit python.org for details).
• An internet connection to download any necessary packages.
• A text editor or an integrated development environment (IDE) like Visual Studio Code for writing your code.
• Very basic knowledge of how a web server works. Think of it as a program that listens for requests and sends answers back.
• An idea of what you need in a Patient management system. For example, you may want to allow the recording of patient names, ages, and other details.

Setting Up Your Environment

Begin by creating a new folder called "patientmanagementsystem" on your computer. This folder will hold all the code and files related to the project.

• Inside the folder, open your text editor.
• Create a virtual environment (this isolates the project from other Python projects). In your command line, run the commands:

The following command creates a new virtual Python environment named "venv"
Please note that the actual command may vary based on your operating system.
python -m venv venv

Activate the virtual environment.
For Windows, you can use the command below:
venv\Scripts\activate

For macOS or Linux, use:
source venv/bin/activate

These commands prepare a special space for your project so that installed packages do not interfere with any other projects.

Creating the Project Structure

Create the necessary files to begin building your Patient management system. The basic structure will include a main Python file to run the web application and a text file to list the software libraries you will use.

• Create a file named main.py in the folder.
• Create a file named requirements.txt in the same folder. This file will list the external packages needed.

In the requirements.txt file, add the following lines to specify that you will need the Flask package:

Flask

This tells the system that Flask is needed for the web application.

Writing the Main Application Code

In the main.py file, write the following code. This code sets up a web server that can handle simple tasks for managing patient records. It uses Flask to create endpoints where you can add and view patient information.

The code will also use a very simple SQLite database to store patient details. SQLite is built into Python and requires no extra installation.

from flask import Flask, request, jsonify
import sqlite3

Create a new Flask web application instance.
app = Flask(name)

This function connects to the SQLite database and returns the connection.
def getdbconnection():
    conn = sqlite3.connect('patients.db')
    conn.row\_factory = sqlite3.Row
    return conn

This part of the code handles the endpoint for getting the list of patients.
@app.route('/patients', methods=['GET'])
def get\_patients():
    conn = getdbconnection()
    patients = conn.execute('SELECT \* FROM patients').fetchall()
    conn.close()
    return jsonify([dict(row) for row in patients])

This part handles adding a new patient record into the database.
@app.route('/patients', methods=['POST'])
def add\_patient():
    newpatient = request.getjson()
    name = new\_patient.get('name')
    age = new\_patient.get('age')
    conn = getdbconnection()
    conn.execute('INSERT INTO patients (name, age) VALUES (?, ?)', (name, age))
    conn.commit()
    conn.close()
    return jsonify(new\_patient), 201

Before running the application, create the patients table if it does not exist.
if name == 'main':
    conn = getdbconnection()
    conn.execute('''CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS patients
                    (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT, name TEXT NOT NULL, age INTEGER NOT NULL)''')
    conn.commit()
    conn.close()
    # Run the application on host 0.0.0.0 and port 5000.
    app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=5000)

The code above creates two endpoints: one to get a list of patients and one to add a patient. There is also logic to create a simple database table if it does not already exist. This ensures that your system starts off with the correct storage structure.

Testing Your Application

It is important to test your application to ensure that it works as expected. You can test your patient management system using a web browser or a tool like Postman.

• Run the application by opening your command line, navigating to the project folder, and typing:

python main.py

• After the program starts, open a web browser and go to to see the list of patients. Since no patient has been added yet, it will show an empty list.
• To add a patient, you can use a tool like Postman or a browser extension to send a POST request with JSON data such as {"name": "John Doe", "age": 30} to .

This step proves that the system can add and view patient records successfully.

Deploying the Application

Once you have tested the application locally and everything works, you might want to deploy it so that others can use the system. An easy option for beginners is to use a free hosting service that supports Python applications. You may consider platforms like Heroku, Replit, or others.

• For deploying, check the documentation of the hosting service you select.
• Usually, you will need to connect your code repository, configure the web server settings (like which file to run), and set up any required environment variables.
• After deployment, test the live application using the URL provided by the hosting platform to confirm that the system works remotely.

This completes the guide for building a basic Patient management system (v0). The system is designed to store and retrieve patient details using a web interface with endpoints created using Flask and data stored in an SQLite database.

Next Steps

After you have a working system, consider these improvements:

• Enhance the user interface by building a simple web page instead of using raw API endpoints.
• Secure the endpoints so that only authorized users can view or change patient records.
• Add more functionalities such as updating or deleting a patient record.
• Consider moving to a more robust database system if your application grows larger.

By following these detailed steps, even someone with limited technical knowledge can understand and build a basic Patient management system. Each step was explained in plain language, and code snippets were provided to guide you through the entire process.

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