Hi everyone,
I’m exploring potential project ideas for Google Summer of Code 2026 with OpenMRS, and I’d really appreciate community feedback on the feasibility and relevance of the following idea before moving forward.
Problem I Addressed
In many real hospital environments, clinicians work in rotating shifts. While OpenMRS captures encounters, orders, and observations effectively, there doesn’t appear to be a structured way to manage clinical follow-up tasks and responsibility across shifts.
In practice, this can lead to:
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Missed follow-ups (e.g., reviewing lab results, reassessing patients)
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Loss of clinical context when care is handed over
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Reliance on informal methods such as paper notes or verbal handover
I’m trying to understand whether this is a problem that OpenMRS implementations commonly face and whether it’s something worth addressing at the platform/module level.
Idea I am Proposing
Clinical Task Handover & Shift Continuity (Concept)
The idea is to introduce a lightweight, backend-focused mechanism that allows clinicians to create and track patient-linked clinical tasks, with support for continuity across shifts.
At a high level, this could include:
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Creating clinical follow-up tasks linked to a patient and encounter
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Assigning tasks to providers or locations (e.g., ward / department)
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Carrying over pending tasks when shifts change
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Tracking task status (pending, completed, overdue)
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Basic auditability for safety and accountability
This is only a concept at this stage, and I’m intentionally keeping the scope open.
Questions for the Community
I’d really appreciate feedback on:
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Is this a real and recurring problem in OpenMRS implementations?
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Are there existing modules, discussions, or past efforts addressing this?
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Would this be better modeled using existing OpenMRS concepts (e.g., orders, encounters, programs)?
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Does this seem feasible and appropriate for a GSoC-scale project?
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Any concerns or alternative approaches I should consider?