Maintenance and Enhancement of a Psychological Treatment System
We modernised a legacy web application for secure and efficient psychological care.
TIMELINE: SINCE APRIL 2021 (ongoing)
COUNTRY: NETHERLANDS
TEAM: SOFTWARE ENGINEER
We modernised a legacy web application for secure and efficient psychological care.
TIMELINE: SINCE APRIL 2021 (ongoing)
COUNTRY: NETHERLANDS
TEAM: SOFTWARE ENGINEER
About the project: The project involved maintaining and upgrading a legacy web application used by psychologists and psychiatrists to manage patient data, document sessions, and handle invoicing. The system was originally developed by a non-professional programmer and required significant improvements to meet operational demands and compliance standards.
Result in short: The application became more reliable, user-friendly, and compliant with European data protection laws (GDPR), enabling streamlined workflows for medical professionals and enhancing operational efficiency across multiple clinics.
This project involved maintaining and enhancing a legacy web application used by psychologists and psychiatrists in the Netherlands.
Originally developed by a non-professional programmer, the system was created to assist in the treatment of insomnia. It helped clinicians organize patient data, document therapy sessions, and manage invoicing.
Despite serving its purpose, the system was becoming increasingly inadequate due to growing user demands, performance issues, and regulatory changes. Notably, Dutch health authorities impose specific guidelines, particularly concerning pricing, which necessitates frequent system refactoring to ensure compliance.
1
Psychologists can access centralized patient profiles with detailed session notes.
2
The system allows tracking of treatment progress, including diagnostic statuses such as stress and depression.
3
It also logs patient interactions, from initial contact to session outcomes.
1
The application automates the generation of invoices based on recorded sessions.
2
It integrates seamlessly with insurance providers, streamlining reimbursements.
3
Psychologists can include mandatory identifiers, like the Dutch AGB codes, for medical professionals.
1
Psychologists can record session dates, durations, and detailed notes.
2
They have the possibility
to update or view notes from previous sessions.
3
The system securely stores diagnoses and tracks therapy progress.
1
Access to the application
is restricted based on IP addresses.
2
The system uses secure login, incorporating multi-factor authentication with authenticator codes and email-based verification.
1
The system provides differentiated access levels for psychologists, admins, and other staff.
2
It limits editing and viewing rights based on user roles, ensuring appropriate access control.
1
Patient data is securely stored within the European Union.
2
The system strictly adheres to GDPR and other local data protection regulations, ensuring full compliance.
Our team took over the application’s maintenance, refactoring, and enhancement to improve stability, scalability, security, and compliance with European data protection laws (GDPR).
During the initial phases, we conducted a thorough audit of the system and proposed a detailed plan for refactoring and optimization. The main objectives of the project were to ensure the application’s continued operation while addressing its expanding needs:
We worked to minimise downtime, reduce performance issues, and prevent crashes.
We enhanced core features such as patient management, session documentation, and invoicing.
We ensured the system met GDPR requirements and adhered to other local data protection laws.
We focused on improving the user experience and supporting clinical workflows.
Our approach was grounded in a deep understanding of the system’s architecture, collaboration with stakeholders, and a commitment to delivering value within the constraints of the project.
Throughout the course of this project, we encountered several challenges that required careful attention and a solution-oriented approach.
01
Initially, the client was reluctant to grant full access to the system, which hindered troubleshooting and enhancements. Over time, trust was built through clear communication and adherence to data protection laws.
02
The application’s original code was written by a non-professional developer, leading to some technical debt and suboptimal architecture. Refactoring efforts were carefully managed to avoid destabilizing the system.
03
The workflows of various clinics had to be closely analyzed and integrated into the application, requiring ongoing collaboration with end-users. Some processes, such as treatment protocols and insurance interactions, had to be implemented gradually.
04
The lack of comprehensive documentation necessitated reverse-engineering the system. Ongoing communication with stakeholders was required to fully understand the existing functionality.
Through our efforts, the system was significantly improved to meet the growing needs of the client, ensuring that all key objectives were met and exceeded.
Regular maintenance and performance-focused updates stabilized the application, reducing downtime and eliminating frequent crashes. A major focus was on resolving critical performance bottlenecks, such as slow database queries and inefficient workflows, ensuring smoother operation for end-users.
To enhance scalability and reliability, the core invoicing functionality was migrated to AWS Lambda. This transition allowed us to isolate and optimize these key processes as serverless cloud functions, ensuring better performance and fault tolerance.
The system was migrated from Heroku to AWS to address increasing demands for RAM and overall server performance. This move reduced hosting costs by approximately 60%, while also providing a more robust and scalable infrastructure. Key improvements included:
The system achieved full compliance with GDPR requirements, ensuring secure and lawful handling of sensitive patient data. Enhanced security measures, including IP restrictions, multi-factor authentication, and role-based access control, further safeguarded the application.
By transitioning to AWS, the client saved significant monthly costs while benefiting from a more performant and flexible setup. The AWS environment not only reduced expenses but also provided a foundation for future growth, such as implementing Docker container auto-scaling if required.
The system automatically analyzes incoming data. The researchers can add new documents as they become available. When a new source document is introduced, the system identifies potential topics, enabling it to adapt dynamically to evolving information.
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mark.cameron@teacode.io
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tax no: PL5213775495
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