MediLink – Full-Stack Healthcare Appointment Platform

A scalable, full-stack healthcare management platform that streamlines appointment booking, doctor scheduling, and administrative operations through secure role-based access.

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MediLink

MediLink is a MERN Stack healthcare appointment platform that connects Patients, Doctors, and Administrators through a secure and intuitive web application. The platform enables patients to book appointments, doctors to manage schedules, and administrators to oversee users, doctors, and appointments from a centralized dashboard.

Features

Patient Portal

• Secure registration and login
• Browse available doctors
• View doctor profiles and specialties
• Book appointments
• Cancel appointments
• View appointment history
• Manage personal profile

Doctor Dashboard

• Secure doctor authentication
• View upcoming appointments
• Accept or reject appointments
• Mark appointments as completed
• Update availability
• Manage profile information
• Track earnings and appointment statistics

Admin Dashboard

• Admin authentication
• Add, edit, and remove doctors
• View all appointments
• Manage users
• Monitor platform activity
• Dashboard analytics
• Control doctor availability

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Tech Stack

Frontend

• React.js
• React Router
• Axios
• Context API
• CSS
• Responsive Design

Backend

• Node.js
• Express.js
• JWT Authentication
• REST API

Database

• MongoDB
• Mongoose ODM

Other Tools

• Cloudinary (Image Uploads)
• Multer
• bcrypt.js
• dotenv
• CORS

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System Architecture

                React Frontend
                      │
                REST API Calls
                      │
             Express.js + Node.js
                      │
      ┌───────────────┼────────────────┐
      │               │                │
 JWT Authentication  Controllers   Middleware
      │               │                │
      └───────────────┼────────────────┘
                      │
                MongoDB Database

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Authentication

MediLink uses JSON Web Tokens (JWT) for secure authentication.

Supported roles:

• Patient
• Doctor
• Administrator

Features include:

• Password hashing using bcrypt
• Protected routes
• Role-based authorization
• Token verification middleware

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Appointment Workflow

Patient
    │
Book Appointment
    │
Backend Validation
    │
Appointment Created
    │
Doctor Dashboard
    │
Accept / Reject
    │
Completed Appointment

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REST API Overview

Authentication

POST   /api/user/register
POST   /api/user/login
POST   /api/doctor/login
POST   /api/admin/login

Patient

GET    /api/doctor/list
POST   /api/user/book-appointment
GET    /api/user/appointments
POST   /api/user/cancel-appointment

Doctor

GET    /api/doctor/appointments
POST   /api/doctor/complete
POST   /api/doctor/cancel
POST   /api/doctor/change-availability

Admin

POST   /api/admin/add-doctor
GET    /api/admin/all-doctors
GET    /api/admin/all-appointments

(Endpoints may vary depending on your implementation.)

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Installation

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/your-username/MediLink.git

cd MediLink

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Backend Setup

cd backend

npm install

Create a .env file:

PORT=4000

MONGODB_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string

JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key

CLOUDINARY_NAME=your_cloudinary_name

CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_api_key

CLOUDINARY_SECRET_KEY=your_secret

Run backend

npm run server

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Frontend Setup

cd frontend

npm install

npm run dev

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Environment Variables

Backend requires:

MONGODB_URI=

JWT_SECRET=

CLOUDINARY_NAME=

CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=

CLOUDINARY_SECRET_KEY=

PORT=

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Security Features

• JWT Authentication
• Password Hashing (bcrypt)
• Protected API Routes
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
• Input Validation
• Secure File Uploads
• Environment Variable Configuration

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Future Improvements

• Video consultation integration
• Email & SMS appointment reminders
• Online payments
• Prescription management
• Electronic Health Records (EHR)
• Medical report uploads
• Real-time chat between patients and doctors
• Notifications using WebSockets
• AI-powered symptom checker
• Appointment recommendation system