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BUILD ON CARE

Build your next healthcare application on Care.

Create plugins, integrations and AI-assisted workflows on an open-source healthcare platform. Start with the walkthrough, use the developer tools, and bring your idea to life.

Start building Watch the walkthrough
Read the plugin docs

Your idea. A shared foundation. Open source.

Care Core provides shared healthcare capabilities. Add the frontend, backend, or integration your feature needs to create a focused workflow.

01 / THE WALKTHROUGH

See how to build on Care.

A walkthrough to help you get started with Care’s developer tools and plugin ecosystem.

Get oriented, then take the next step with the scaffold and documentation below.

Go to the getting-started path
Loads Loom only when you choose to watch.Watch on Loom

02 / THE PLATFORM

Extend the platform.
Build your workflow.

Reuse Care’s patient and encounter data, forms, scheduling, and organizational structure. Keep your extension focused on the new experience you want to create.

01

Frontend plugins

Add the interface your users need: a view, a navigation entry, or a component in an existing workflow.

React apps declare supported extension points in a manifest.tsx and can be delivered through Vite module federation.

02

Backend plugins

Add server-side logic, APIs, or a connection to an external service. Keep service credentials on the server.

Django apps register with Care’s PlugManager and expose their own namespaced API routes.

03

Integrations

Connect a device or another system to a focused Care workflow using the available APIs and extension points.

Use a frontend, a backend, or both as needed. Check the supported interfaces for your target Care version.

Not every feature needs both a frontend and a backend plugin. Some ideas may need changes to core.

Explore the architecture

03 / YOUR FIRST BUILD

From an idea to your first plugin.

Start small. Make one workflow work from end to end.

  1. 01

    Choose a focused workflow

    Define the user, their problem, and one useful outcome. Choose a small feature you can demonstrate with synthetic data.

  2. 02

    Set up your workspace

    The Care scaffold brings together plugin-building guidance and frontend and backend templates in an isolated development workspace.

    Have Git, Node.js/npm, Python 3, and Docker with Compose available. Check the current setup instructions for required versions and environment checks.

    Open the scaffoldSetup instructions
  3. 03

    Build with the right tools

    With an AI coding agent: use the starter prompt and let the scaffold’s plugin-building guidance help shape your implementation.

    With the documentation: follow the plugin guide and use the templates as a starting point.

    Read the plugin guide
  4. 04

    Test the workflow

    Run the demo end to end. Check permissions, write clear setup instructions, and document limitations. A working prototype is the starting point for further validation.

YOUR IDEA → A PLAN

Start a useful conversation.

Give your coding agent the context it needs. Replace the feature description with your idea.

Copies text only. Nothing is installed or run.

Build with synthetic data.

Use synthetic data while developing and demonstrating your project. Before using a solution in clinical care, validate the workflow and review security, access controls, privacy and operational requirements.

04 / THE TOOLKIT

Keep these
within reach.

A short path to the source.
Start with the scaffold and the docs; go deeper when your idea needs it.

05 / IN THE OPEN

Real code.
Useful starting points.

Look inside two extensions to see how the pieces fit. These are reference implementations; check their setup, dependencies, and compatibility with your Care version.

Backend example

Care Filly

See a Django plugin authenticate Care users, check facility permissions, and issue short-lived Medispeak session tokens.

Service credentials stay on the server.

ohcnetwork / care_fillyExplore the backend
Frontend example

Care AI Vision

Explore a React app that extracts patient details from photographed forms and fills registration fields for user review.

A reference for extending the Care interface.

ohcnetwork / care_ai_vision_feExplore the frontend

IDEAS TO EXPLORE

What will you build?

Find a small problem worth solving.
Use these ideas as a starting point.

  1. 01A care-team view for follow-ups and coordination
  2. 02An integration with a device or external service
  3. 03AI-assisted documentation with human review
  4. 04A focused operational dashboard

Building at a hackathon?

Start with one workflow, use synthetic data, and make the demo easy for someone else to run.

YOUR DEMO CHECKLIST

  • Problem & intended user
  • Working workflow
  • Setup instructions
  • Synthetic sample data
  • Known limitations

BUILT IN THE OPEN. BUILT TO BE EXTENDED.

Bring your idea to Care.

Start with the scaffold, explore an example, and build a focused workflow.

Start buildingRead the plugin docs

Want to improve the shared platform? Contribute to Care