EchoInTrack

A Flask-based web application for tracking and managing inpatient echocardiogram (echo) requests in a hospital setting. The system provides triage pathways, automated deadline calculation, and comprehensive tracking of echo request completion times.

Design Inspiration: The dashboard interface is inspired by air traffic control systems, using visual "strips" (bars) to organize and prioritize echo requests, similar to how air traffic controllers manage flight schedules and priorities.

Features

• Triage System: Multiple pathways (PURPLE, RED, AMBER, GREEN/REJECTED) with different completion targets
• Automated Deadline Calculation: Working hours calculation excluding weekends and UK bank holidays
• Dashboard: Real-time statistics and visualizations
• Request Tracking: Monitor pending, completed, and overdue requests
• User Authentication: Secure login system with password management
• Database Backups: Automated daily backups with configurable retention
• Patient Information: Track name, MRN, ward, and notes for each request
• Triage Sentence Editor: Built-in editor for managing triage response templates

Screenshots

Triage Interface

The main triage interface allows staff to quickly select and copy triage response sentences for different pathways, with integrated access to clinical guidelines.

Dashboard

Real-time dashboard showing current statistics, pending requests by pathway, and daily trends over the last 15 days. The interface uses an air traffic control-inspired design with visual "strips" to organize and prioritize echo requests by urgency and deadline.

Raw Data View

Comprehensive table view of all echo requests with filtering, search, and export capabilities.

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• Flask 2.3.3+
• APScheduler 3.10.4+
• pytz 2023.3+
• werkzeug 2.3.7+

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/EchoInTrack.git
cd EchoInTrack/v10

2. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Configure the application:

   • Copy config.json.example to config.json
   • Edit config.json with your settings (port, wards, bank holidays)

4. Set environment variables:

   • Copy ENV_EXAMPLE.txt to .env (or set them manually)
   • Or set them in your shell:

export SECRET_KEY="your-secret-key-here"
export ADMIN_PASSWORD="your-admin-password"
export FLASK_DEBUG="False"  # Set to "True" for development

5. Initialize the database:

python app.py

The application will create the database and default admin user on first run (if ADMIN_PASSWORD is set).

Configuration

Edit config.json to customize:

• db_path: Database file path (default: "echo.db")
• backup_dir: Directory for database backups (default: "backup")
• max_backups: Number of backups to retain (default: 3)
• port: Application port (default: 8282)
• bank_holidays: List of UK bank holidays (YYYY-MM-DD format)
• wards: List of ward names for dropdown selection

Usage

1. Start the application:

python app.py

2. Access the application at http://localhost:8282 (or your configured port)

3. Login with the admin credentials (set via ADMIN_PASSWORD environment variable)

4. Navigate through the interface:

   • Triage Interface (/): Select and copy triage response sentences
   • Dashboard (/dashboard): View statistics and trends
   • Raw Data (/raw): Manage and export all requests

Triage Pathways

• PURPLE PATHWAY: 1 working hour target
• RED PATHWAY: 24 working hours target
• AMBER PATHWAY: 72 working hours (3 working days) target
• GREEN PATHWAY/REJECTED: Declined or rejected requests

Project Structure

EchoInTrack/
├── v10/                # Current version (recommended)
│   ├── app.py          # Main application file
│   ├── config.json     # Configuration file (create from config.json.example)
│   ├── requirements.txt # Python dependencies
│   ├── sentences.txt   # Triage sentence templates
│   ├── templates/      # HTML templates
│   └── static/         # Static files (CSS, JS, PDFs)
├── appv6c.py           # Legacy version (deprecated, use v10/)
├── README.md           # This file
├── LICENSE             # License file
├── CONTRIBUTING.md     # Contribution guidelines
└── .gitignore          # Git ignore rules

Note: The v10/ directory contains the current, recommended version with enhanced features. The root appv6c.py is a legacy version and is maintained for backward compatibility only.

Security Notes

• Change default password: Always set ADMIN_PASSWORD environment variable before first run
• Production deployment: Set FLASK_DEBUG=False in production
• Secret key: Use a strong, random SECRET_KEY in production (minimum 24 characters)
• Database: Keep database files secure and backed up
• Configuration: Never commit config.json with sensitive data to version control

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Required	Default
SECRET_KEY	Flask session secret key	No	Randomly generated
ADMIN_PASSWORD	Password for default admin user	Yes (for first run)	None
FLASK_DEBUG	Enable Flask debug mode	No	False

API Endpoints

Authentication Required

All API endpoints require authentication via session cookie.

• POST /api/add_request - Add a new echo request
• GET /api/get_requests - Get all requests
• POST /api/mark_completed - Mark a request as completed
• POST /api/delete_request - Delete a request
• POST /api/undo_completed - Revert a completed request to pending
• GET /api/get_today_stats - Get today's statistics
• GET /api/get_daily_stats - Get daily statistics for the last 30 days
• GET /api/get_overdue_count - Get count of overdue requests
• POST /api/update_notes - Update notes for a request
• POST /api/update_name - Update patient name
• POST /api/update_mrn - Update patient MRN
• POST /api/update_ward - Update patient ward

Development

For development, set:

export FLASK_DEBUG="True"

This enables:

• Auto-reload on code changes
• Detailed error pages
• Debug toolbar

Warning: Never use debug mode in production!

Backup System

The application automatically creates database backups:

• Scheduled daily at midnight (UK time)
• Manual backups can be created via the backup management page
• Old backups are automatically cleaned up (retains max_backups most recent)

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Support

For issues and questions, please open an issue on GitHub.