RxNAG

Introduction

While browsing for new medical resources, I came across Antimicrobial QR by Dr. Ivan Low Tiong Lim on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Since 2024, the National Antimicrobial Guideline has only been accessible online via a Google Site, where the search experience is relatively clunky.

  • Users often have to navigate manually through multi-tiered pages to find specific topics, though this platform does allow for timely updates.

While Antimicrobial QR is an impressive effort that offers a clean interface and promotes antimicrobial stewardship, it raises a key concern: sustainability.

  • Specifically, how will the app's content stay synchronized with the official online version, given that the app relies on custom visual layouts?



Technical Setup

As a developer and blogger, I know that the hardest part of software development is rarely building the initial app - it is maintaining the database long-term.

  • Driven by these update concerns, I decided to build a Progressive Web App (PWA) called RxNAG as a proof of concept.
  • The workflow relies on a custom Node.js script (drafted with AI assistance) that scrapes and parses content directly from the official NAG website.
  • Using Cheerio, the script parses the raw HTML into structured, multi-column layouts while preserving inline hyperlinks, formatting, and Google Drive links for document viewing.

Because web scraping carries a inherent risk of parsing errors or layout distortion, every data card includes a direct link to the corresponding official web page at the bottom for source verification.



Conclusion

While RxNAG's user interface may not be as custom-tailored as Antimicrobial QR, it was built primarily for long-term sustainability.

  • Whenever official updates are published, a single run of the Node script automatically scrapes, transforms, and outputs the updated JSON payload - keeping maintenance overhead close to zero.

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