TITLE:
SmartCare: A Mobile Application for Improving Medication Adherence, Elderly Location Tracking, and Disease Management
AUTHORS:
Shahad A. A. Ababtain, Shahad A. M. Alsubhi, Youssef A. Maklad, Hoang-Nam Tran, Cheng-Hai Jin, Ahmed S. Maklad
KEYWORDS:
Medication Adherence, Elderly Care, Chatbot, GPS Tracking, First Aid Guidance
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Computer and Communications,
Vol.13 No.9,
September
26,
2025
ABSTRACT: Elderly individuals and patients with chronic conditions face persistent challenges in medication adherence, safety during wandering-prone episodes, and access to immediate first-aid guidance. This paper presents SmartCare, a cross-platform mobile application (Android/iOS) designed to integrate four core capabilities into a single, senior-friendly solution: intelligent medication reminders with barcode-based registration and adherence logging; real-time GPS location tracking to support caregiver oversight and enhance safety; basic health data entry for longitudinal monitoring; and an AI-powered chatbot delivering step-by-step first-aid instructions. SmartCare is implemented using Flutter for a unified, accessible front end and Firebase for secure, real-time backend services with role-based access control and encryption. The system architecture comprises presentation, business, and data layers, with offline-first support and a scalable path to cloud synchronization. The offline-first functionality enables users to receive intelligent medication reminders and record basic health data even without an internet connection. All data from these features are automatically synchronized as soon as connectivity is restored. A rigorous methodology encompassing requirements elicitation, iterative design, and comprehensive testing demonstrates that SmartCare meets key non-functional requirements availability, reliability, security, and sub-two-second response times and fulfills all primary user workflows for patients and caregivers. Comparative analysis highlights SmartCare’s differentiated value as an integrated, caregiver-oriented platform relative to single-purpose mHealth tools. The results indicate that SmartCare improves medication adherence, strengthens caregiver responsiveness, and enhances user safety and preparedness.