Abstract: Blockchain is an emerging technology being applied for creating innovative solutions in various sectors, including healthcare. Blockchain in healthcare, medicine and pharmaceuticals can be used to manage electronic medical records, drug supply chains, to combat counterfeiting, control the distribution of donor organs, conduct clinical and biomedical research, remotely monitor patients, improve insurance and billing procedures, as well as analyze medical data.
Keywords: Medicine, Data storage, Healthcare, Clinical trials, Capabilities, Digital technologies, Technology
Prerequisites for the use of blockchain in healthcare
Traditional mechanisms for the exchange of medical information are outdated, they do not cope with their tasks in the modern healthcare infrastructure. In most cases, the patient must independently bring all his past medical records to a new hospital or take medical tests again.
In addition to the obvious inconvenience, the absence of a patient’s medical history can lead to improper treatment. Another problem is the lack of comprehensive information about the patient and his medical history. Incomplete patient data may be stored in databases of various hospitals.
Blockchain is at the center of many modern developments in the field of healthcare. This technology offers new approaches to data storage and management models in healthcare. This is due to the ability of the blockchain to segment and protect information, as well as to organize the rapid exchange of medical data and services.
Blockchain-based healthcare innovations can be divided into four levels:
- data sources;
- technology;
- applications;
- interested parties.
Current Use of Blockchain Technologies
According to a survey of 146 medical institutions in Europe, only 4% already use blockchain, another 14% plan to start using it. Most do not plan to use blockchain, and one in three finds it difficult to answer this question. This is probably due to a low level of understanding of the technology’s capabilities and high barriers to use.
Most stakeholders are interested in the use of blockchain to protect patient data and secure information exchange. Speeding up data exchange between participants has proved to be more important for public health authorities, while medical institutions are focusing on strengthening the security of traditional systems and ensuring data exchange between new participants.
At the moment, blockchain is used in medicine and pharmaceuticals in the following areas:
- management of electronic medical records;
- drug supply chain management and anti-counterfeiting;
- control over the distribution of donor organs;
- conducting clinical and biomedical research;
- remote monitoring of patients;
- improvements to insurance and billing procedures;
- analysis of medical data.
Significant applications Blockchain for healthcare.
| N | Applications | Description |
| 1 | Store information of an individual patient | Before and after the different clinical study phases, a significant amount of patient information and health data is generated. There are many people’s blood tests, quality assessments, estimates, and wellness polls. It can provide results that show the existence of some document or record. Healthcare providers traverse the stored data and suspect its validity, and they will check this seamlessly by matching it to the original records stored on the Blockchain system. Blockchain is based on existing cryptographic techniques, which include the appropriate framework for cryptography for data sharing. The patient’s name, date of birth and diagnosis, treatments, and ambulatory history are recorded in EHR format during patient details by the healthcare provider. This information is stored in cloud computing or the current databases. |
| 2 | Analyse the effects of a particular procedure | Researchers can effectively analyse any particular procedure on a large part of the patient population through verified access to the patient data. This produces significant results that enhance the mode of management of these patient groups. With the Blockchain infrastructure in place, pharmaceutical firms will gather data in real-time to deliver a wide range of precisely adapted prescription drugs or services for patients. Blockchain makes the job of the pharmacies simpler since it has all the data on top of it. They will efficiently instruct patients on how to take the medication from these results. It will update the clinicians on the present stage of the patient with the wearable data gathered in real-time and alert them to any emergency. |
| 3 | Validation | Transactions are validated in a Blockchain until they are linked to the chain and are done by algorithms. The authenticity is sealed until the material is encrypted, digitally signed and saved. Healthcare companies, technological innovators, and the healthcare industry are trying to find opportunities to find out what it can do now and what it can do to make healthcare safer and cheaper in the future. Blockchain can make a breakthrough in the health ecosystem when healthcare management can adequately validate the results. |
| 4 | Safety and transparency | It provides excellent safety and transparency while enabling physicians to devote more time to treat patients. It would also allow supporting clinical trials and treatments for any rare disorder. Smooth data exchange among providers of medical solutions can contribute to diagnostic precision, efficient therapies and cost-effective ecosystems in a healthcare system. Blockchain enables various health ecosystem organisations to remain in touch and exchange information on a commonly distributed leader for better safety and transparency. The users can exchange and monitor their data and other actions in the system without searching for more solutions for integrity and confidentiality when using such a system. |
| 5 | Health record keeping | Blockchain can be a perfect technology for record-keeping in the medical world. Its applications include sharing healthcare data, keeping electronic healthcare records, managing insurance, and performing administrative tasks. Patients can send their health information via an app to a Blockchain network. The collaboration of sensors and intelligent devices is facilitated based on digital Blockchain contracts. In most cases, electronic health records are spread through various care institutions. Blockchain will unify all details and provide patients with historical access. The connection of all data in the same place will give us new perspectives on a patient’s health status. Therefore, the Blockchain paradigm would ensure the information is authentic and legitimate and preserve users’ privacy. |
| 6 | Clinical Trial | In clinical trials, Blockchain Technology is used to address problems of false results and data disintegration that do not match the purposes and objectives of the research. Blockchain will strengthen trust in clinical trials. The business analysis platform investigates the evolving market dynamics so that the healthcare sector understands the possibilities. The management of medicines on the Blockchain is just another chance of building and monitoring the chain from the manufacturer to the customer by incorporating Blockchain credibility. |
| 7 | Display information | The Blockchain system will display information about the origins of the medication to ensure high quality and that the approved medicine’s manufacturer supplies it. Blockchain provides better protection than ever for sensitive data, provided that it is appropriately used. Various sectors, including finance, retail, and immobilisation, have begun to use the Blockchain app trend and achieve several benefits to display information. Healthcare is also considered to be nuanced and complicated. This declaration will lead to significant disputes. By its complexity and complexity, the market has undergone fundamental developments in some fields, such as medicinal products, medications, vaccines, clinical trials, and cloud computing adoption. |
| 8 | Identification of false content | Blockchain will provide more clarity and identification of false content. Clinical studies for participants and clients should still be easy to validate. An intelligent agreement is ideal for obtaining approval and keeping implemented protocol documents and their findings openly and publicly verifiable. The technology has first allowed the general public to monitor what occurs in a clinical trial closely. The motive behind this technology is that it is user-focused and offers safe access to health and insurance records to patients in real-time. |
| 9 | Reduces needless overhead expenses | Blockchain reduces needless overhead expenses and thus enables the correct use of health records. This technology will also mitigate the need for multiple intermediaries to monitor critical health information sharing. The crucial task of healthcare providers is to provide efficient, timely, and adequate services for their people may therefore be simplified. With Blockchain healthcare technologies, the service providers will already have an overview of the medical record of any particular patient. Many problems that plague the healthcare system can be resolved, including interoperability, report completion, theft and even catastrophe data failure. |
| 10 | Patient monitoring | A Blockchain’s trust allows medical professionals to ensure they have access to medical equipment when necessary. Doctors may also be more time-consuming to watch patients and react distantly to health-related incidents. Via Blockchain and healthcare, monitoring temperatures inside patient rooms, beds use, and supply availability are improvable. A Blockchain healthcare network to build a stable digital identity for healthcare institutions and providers. Combines Blockchain with IoT technologies to improve the responsiveness and traceability of the supply chain, thus making healthcare logistics more transparent for the proper monitoring of the patient. |
| 11 | Create research initiatives | Blockchains can allow a reliable information source. Blockchain can transform the manual mode of processing for membership claims and disputes. By exchanging patient data more generally, Blockchains may mobilise new and creative research initiatives. Further, the exchange of patient findings in greater depth will catalyse new and creative research, leading to an extraordinary partnership between participants and researchers. This technology can also have a beneficial effect on the control of patient referrals. Once a patient consults the doctor and designs a therapy schedule, the therapy package will be applied as part of the patient care record to the Blockchain. |
| 12 | Maintain financial statements in hospitals | It is crucial to maintain an accurate record of the financial statements in the bookkeeping process. The clinical trials are suitable for smooth operation and assessment. Here, Blockchain companies have invented methods of streamlining the accounting and reporting process. Through this application, everyone can prepare to go to a health care provider and complete the paperwork in advance. It will save time by preventing them from waiting in line. However, we can learn the risks and benefits from the practical uses of Blockchain and the type of problems it solves in the healthcare system. |
| 13 | Improves safety | Blockchain increases overall safety in the health treatment of patients, addresses medication validity and drug traceability problems, and allows for safe interoperability. It is the only way to replace the existing supply chain management scheme and prevent counterfeit drug manufacturers from bringing their drugs into the market with better safety. Regardless of the medical centres and organisations. Blockchains would allow all data to be stored centralised location. The interoperability of Blockchain technology will enable doctors to conveniently view the detailed medical records to help diagnose their diagnosis and develop a better and more precise operation. |
| 14 | Minimise data transformation time and cost |
Blockchain networks minimise data transformation time and costs. Blockchain networks promise to solve the issue of fast and effective verification of medical credentials. Blockchain networks guarantee patient anonymity and protection. This will open up significant new ideas and findings that can change healthcare works in the world. Implementation of Blockchain will lead to valuable and privacy-respecting monetised data sharing networks. Blockchain is a distributed network computing technology that allows storing transaction history and documentation with time stamping. Each node in this network processes verifies and records each data input. |
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