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✨ Proposal: Specialization-Based Assignment & Multi-Queue Management

Summary

Replace doctor-based assignment and queueing with a specialization-based assignment system, enabling separate queues per specialization and intelligent handling of patients assigned to multiple specializations.

Problem Statement

Currently, the workflow in eHRS follows this pattern:

  • Patient registers (new or existing)
  • Volunteer manually assigns a doctor
  • A single queue is maintained per doctor This approach introduces several limitations:
  • Volunteers must know which doctor to assign instead of simply identifying the medical need.
  • Doctor assignment happens too early, even before symptoms are fully assessed
  • Queueing is rigid (doctor-based) and does not scale well when:
    • Multiple doctors belong to the same specialization
    • A patient needs consultations across multiple specializations
  • Patients assigned to multiple doctors can appear in parallel queues, causing conflicts during consultations.

Proposed Solution 🔄 Updated Workflow

Patient Registration

  • After registration, instead of assigning a doctor, the volunteer assigns one or more medical specializations (e.g., General Physician, Gynecology, ENT, Pediatrics) Specialization Assignment
  • A new “Assign Specialization” step is introduced immediately after registration.
  • The existing “Assign Doctor” option is removed from the Volunteer Home page. Specialization-Based Queues
  • Each specialization maintains:
    • Its own queue
    • Its own token sequence (e.g., GP-01, ENT-05)
  • When a patient is assigned to:
    • One specialization → added to that specialization’s queue
    • Multiple specializations → added to multiple queues, but with controlled progression Consultation Flow (Multi-Specialization Logic)
  • When a doctor starts consultation for a patient in one specialization:
    • The patient is marked as “In Consultation”
    • That patient is temporarily put on hold in all other assigned specialization queues
  • After consultation completion:
    • The patient is automatically pushed to the next pending specialization queue
  • This ensures:
    • No parallel consultations
    • No token conflicts
    • Clear consultation order Doctor Interaction
  • Doctors:
    • View queues by specialization
    • Start consultation from their specialization queue
    • Are abstracted from manual patient-doctor assignment logic

Alternatives Considered 1. Auto-Assign Doctor Based on Symptoms

  • Rejected because:
    • Requires accurate symptom classification
    • Reduces flexibility during medical camps
    • Specialization-first approach is simpler and more robust 2. Keep Doctor-Based Queues with Multi-Queue Locks
  • Rejected due to:
    • Higher complexity
    • Poor scalability
    • Confusing volunteer and doctor experience

Benefits

✅ Simplifies volunteer workflow (medical need → specialization)

✅ Scales better with multiple doctors per specialization

✅ Enables clean handling of multi-specialty patients

✅ Reduces queue conflicts and parallel consultations

✅ Aligns better with real hospital OPD workflows

✅ Improves future extensibility (analytics, load balancing, auto-routing)

Risks or Concerns

  • Increased backend complexity for queue and state management
  • Requires careful handling of patient states:
    • Waiting
    • In Consultation
    • On Hold
    • Completed
  • Migration needed for existing doctor-based queues
  • UI updates required across Volunteer and Doctor dashboards
Edited by Lakshy Yarlagadda