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Overview

The Patient Management feature enables administrators to register, update, and manage patient records in the Clínica Vitalis system. Each patient is associated with a social work (insurance provider) for billing and coverage purposes.

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Data Model

Patients are stored with the following structure: 
interface IPatients {
    id: number;
    name: string;
    surname: string;
    dni: number;                // Unique identification number
    birthdate: Date;
    gender: string;
    address: string;
    phone: string;
    email: string;              // Must be valid email format
    socialWorkId: number;       // Reference to Social Work
    state?: string;             // active | inactive
}

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Patient States

Patients can have one of two states:
  • Activo/a (Active): Patient can schedule appointments
  • Inactivo/a (Inactive): Patient record is archived or suspended

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Key Features

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Register New Patient

Administrators can register new patients with comprehensive validation:
1

Enter Personal Information

Provide the patient’s name, surname, DNI (minimum 7 digits), birthdate, and gender.
2

Add Contact Information

Enter address, phone number (10-20 characters), and valid email address.
3

Select Social Work

Choose the patient’s insurance provider (social work) from active options in the system.
4

Create Patient Record

The system validates all fields and creates the patient with an “Active” state by default.
Each patient must have a unique DNI. The system prevents duplicate registrations using the same identification number.

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Validation Rules

Strict validation is enforced from backend/routes/patients.ts:29-52: 
check("name", "El nombre es obligatorio").not().isEmpty()
check("surname", "El apellido es obligatorio").not().isEmpty()
check("dni", "El DNI es obligatorio").not().isEmpty()
check("dni", "DNI no válido").isLength({min: 7})
check("dni").custom(existDNIPatient)  // Ensures DNI is unique
check("phone", "El teléfono es obligatorio")
    .not().isEmpty()
    .isLength({ min: 10, max: 20 })
    .matches(/^[0-9\s\-\+]*$/)
check("email", "El email no es válido").isEmail()
check("socialWorkId").custom(existSocialWorkById)  // Validates insurance exists

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Search and Filter Patients

The system provides flexible search capabilities to quickly find patient records: Search by:
  • Name (partial match)
  • Surname (partial match)
  • DNI (partial match)
Filter by:
  • Gender
  • Social Work ID (insurance provider)
  • Patient state (active/inactive)
The search functionality uses SQL LIKE operators for partial matching, making it easy to find patients even with incomplete information.

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View Patient Details

When retrieving patient information, the system provides:
  • Complete patient demographic data
  • Associated social work (insurance) information
  • Current patient state
  • Contact information for communication

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Update Patient Records

Administrators can modify patient information as needed:
1

Locate Patient

Find the patient using the search functionality or by ID.
2

Update Information

Modify any field including contact details, social work affiliation, or state.
3

Validate Changes

The system validates all fields, ensuring DNI uniqueness (excluding the current patient).
4

Save Record

Updated information is saved to the database.
When updating a patient’s DNI, the system checks that the new DNI doesn’t belong to another patient in the system.

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Data Integrity

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Database Constraints

The patient model includes important constraints defined in backend/models/patients.ts: 
dni: {
    type: DataTypes.INTEGER,
    unique: true,           // Enforces uniqueness at database level
    allowNull: false,
}
email: {
    type: DataTypes.STRING,
    allowNull: false,
    validate: {
        isEmail: true       // Validates email format
    }
}
socialWorkId: {
    type: DataTypes.INTEGER,
    allowNull: false,
    references: {
        model: "Obras_Sociales",  // Foreign key to social works
        key: "id"
    }
}

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API Endpoints

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GET /api/patients

Retrieve all patients with optional filters. Query Parameters:
  • search - Search term for name, surname, or DNI
  • gender - Filter by gender
  • socialWorkId - Filter by insurance provider
  • state - Filter by patient state
Response: 
{
  "patients": [...],
  "countActives": 156
}

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GET /api/patients/:id

Retrieve a specific patient by ID. Response: 
{
  "patient": {
    "id": 1,
    "name": "John",
    "surname": "Doe",
    "dni": 12345678,
    "email": "john.doe@example.com",
    "socialWorkId": 5,
    "state": "Activo/a"
  }
}

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POST /api/patients

Create a new patient (Admin only). Required Fields:
  • name, surname, dni, birthdate, gender, address, phone, email, socialWorkId
Response: 
{
  "patient": { ... }
}

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PATCH /api/patients/:id

Update a patient record (Admin only). Required Fields:
  • All fields from POST plus state

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Security and Access Control

All patient management operations require JWT authentication. Create and update operations are restricted to users with administrator privileges.
Authentication Requirements:
  • GET requests: Authenticated users only
  • POST/PATCH requests: Administrator role required

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Database Relationships

Patients are connected to:
  • Social Works (Many-to-One): Each patient belongs to one insurance provider
  • Appointments (One-to-Many): Each patient can have multiple appointments

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Workflow Example

Here’s a typical patient registration workflow:
1

Patient Arrives

New patient arrives at the clinic for the first time.
2

Collect Information

Reception staff collects patient’s personal information, DNI, and insurance details.
3

Verify Insurance

Staff verifies the social work (insurance) is registered in the system.
4

Create Record

Administrator creates the patient record through the system with validated information.
5

Schedule Appointment

Once registered, the patient can be assigned appointments with professionals.

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Best Practices

  1. Always verify DNI before registration to prevent duplicates
  2. Validate social work exists and is active before assigning to a patient
  3. Use state management instead of deleting patient records for data integrity
  4. Keep contact information updated to ensure effective patient communication
  5. Filter by active state when showing patients for appointment scheduling
  6. Protect patient data according to healthcare privacy regulations

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