## 3 Materials and Methods
### Development Environment and Tools
#### 3.3.1 Software Frameworks and Programming Environments  
The Monit4 Healthy system consists of a backend application developed using Python 3.13.1 and the Django 5.1.5 framework. _Django Framework: A Secure Backend for Health Data Management_  
Django, a high-level Python web framework, was selected for the Monit4 Healthy system due to its advanced security model, scalable architecture, and native support for seamless interoperability with IoT ecosystems. Its built-in ORM, middleware capabilities, and modular design facilitate the development of a highly maintainable and performant backend, optimized for handling concurrent requests and large-scale data processing. These features are essential in the context of web-based and IoT-driven healthcare applications, where stringent data security, efficient real-time communication, and system resilience are critical requirements. Django's architecture provides a robust and scalable framework ideally suited to the requirements of our project. A Django project encapsulates the entire web application, integrating all its components, while individual applications serve as modular units responsible for specific functionalities. The framework adheres to the Model-View-Template architectural pattern, ensuring a clear separation of concerns and promoting maintainability. The model layer defines the data schema and orchestrates database interactions, the view layer processes Hypertext Transfer Protocol requests and generates responses, and the template layer structures presentation logic, enabling the efficient rendering of response data in formats such as HTML or JSON. These characteristics make Django an optimal choice for developing a structured, maintainable, and high-performance web application [65]. Django's Object Relational Mapper (ORM) provides an abstraction layer that simplifies database interactions by enabling developers to define and manipulate database models using Python code instead of raw SQL (Structured Query Language). This approach enhances code readability, maintainability, and portability while ensuring database-agnostic development, thereby facilitating seamless integration with various relational database management systems [66]. Django provides native support for a wide range of database management systems (DBMS), including MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, and Oracle [67], through dedicated database drivers that handle connections and execute operations specific to each database management system. For this system, the MariaDB management system was selected as the primary database management system due to its optimized performance, scalability, and extensive compatibility with Django's ORM. It also enhances data storage and retrieval, ensuring fast and efficient access to patient records. _Data Storage and Management: MariaDB_  
This database provides the following:  
* _SQL Support_: It facilitates the efficient and scalable querying, management, and manipulation of structured data. * _Data Integrity and Security_: It implements strong encryption protocols and authentication mechanisms to protect sensitive health information, ensuring compliance with data protection regulations. _The key functionalities implemented within the platform include the following:_
* _User Authentication and Role-Based Access Control_--Django's built-in authentication system ensures that access to sensitive patient data is restricted to authorized personnel, enforcing strict role-based access policies. * _Patient Management_--The framework enables the efficient storage and retrieval of patient data, appointment scheduling, and real-time notifications, ensuring seamless coordination between healthcare providers and patients. * _Medical Professional Management_--Django supports the management of medical results, tracking of patient recommendation histories, and coordination of referrals.