Hitching Healthcare to the Chain: An Introduction to Blockchain Technology in the Healthcare Sector
TL;DR: This work states that when a massive quantity of data is spread out with limited access, is in forms not conducive to sharing, cannot be easily packaged for computational methods, or does not exist as a complete record, it is impossible to perform the complex data analysis required to arrive at solutions.
Abstract: Health is the foundation of an engaged and happy life, and modern humans have been the fortunate beneficiaries of great advances in medical technology (Collins, 2015). With each new technology, more clues become available to decipher the problems that plague our well-being. The advent of individualized information from cheaper genome sequencing, the Internet of Things, and widespread collection of health data may enable researchers to solve formerly inaccessible health problems. However, when this massive quantity of data is spread out with limited access, is in forms not conducive to sharing, cannot be easily packaged for computational methods, or does not exist as a complete record, it is impossible to perform the complex data analysis required to arrive at solutions.
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TL;DR: There is a need for more research to better understand, characterize and evaluate the utility of blockchain in healthcare, and the state-of-the-art in the development of blockchain applications for healthcare, their limitations and the areas for future research are highlighted.
526 citations
Cites background from "Hitching Healthcare to the Chain: A..."
...Additionally, [14] talks about an initiative by a company named Pokitdok that aims to partner with Intel to build a blockchain-based system that will facilitate insurance claim resolution in healthcare....
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...In [14], the author discusses the Medicalchain project, whose blockchain-based platform will facilitate the sharing of patients’ medical records across international healthcare institutions, and the Healthcoin initiative, which aims at constructing a global EMR system....
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...Some of the barriers to blockchain-enabled patient-centric electronic medical records include interoperability among disparate blockchain-based EMR solutions (because of lack of standards), scalability (high volume of clinical data), patient engagement (not all patients are willing and able to manage their own data), data security and privacy, and lack of incentives [14,24,40,44,55,66,84]....
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...Engelhardt, in his survey, mentions some companies that are working on how blockchain can be used to detect prescription drug fraud....
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...There is already a standards group (ISO/TC 307) to which researchers can send in their contributions [14]....
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TL;DR: In this paper, a review examines the potential of blockchain technology for assuring traceability and authenticity in the food supply chain, which can be considered a true innovation and relevant approach to assure the quality of the third step of the analytical processes: data acquisition and management.
Abstract: The steady increase in food falsification, which has caused large economic losses and eroded consumers’ trust, has become a pressing issue for producers, researchers, governments, consumers and other stakeholders Tracking and authenticating the food supply chain to understand provenance is critical with a view to identifying and addressing sources of contamination in the food supply chain worldwide One way of solving traceability issues and ensuring transparency is by using blockchain technology to store data from chemical analysis in chronological order so that they are impossible to manipulate afterwards This review examines the potential of blockchain technology for assuring traceability and authenticity in the food supply chain It can be considered a true innovation and relevant approach to assure the quality of the third step of the analytical processes: data acquisition and management
492 citations
TL;DR: This survey provides a comprehensive review of emerging blockchain-based healthcare technologies and related applications and shows the potential of blockchain technology in revolutionizing healthcare industry.
Abstract: One of the most important discoveries and creative developments that is playing a vital role in the professional world today is blockchain technology. Blockchain technology moves in the direction of persistent revolution and change. It is a chain of blocks that covers information and maintains trust between individuals no matter how far they are. In the last couple of years, the upsurge in blockchain technology has obliged scholars and specialists to scrutinize new ways to apply blockchain technology with a wide range of domains. The dramatic increase in blockchain technology has provided many new application opportunities, including healthcare applications. This survey provides a comprehensive review of emerging blockchain-based healthcare technologies and related applications. In this inquiry, we call attention to the open research matters in this fast-growing field, explaining them in some details. We also show the potential of blockchain technology in revolutionizing healthcare industry.
294 citations
Cites background from "Hitching Healthcare to the Chain: A..."
...The potential of blockchain in healthcare is to overcome the challenges related to data security, privacy, sharing and storage [17,18]....
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TL;DR: In this paper, an analysis of state-of-the-art blockchain research in the field of healthcare is conducted, which reveals the potential applications of blockchain technology and highlights the challenges and possible directions of blockchain research for healthcare.
Abstract: Blockchain technology enables a decentralized and distributed environment with no need for a central authority. Transactions are simultaneously secure and trustworthy due to the use of cryptographic principles. In recent years, blockchain technology has become very trendy and penetrated different domains, mostly due to the popularity of cryptocurrencies. One field where blockchain technology has tremendous potential is healthcare, due to the need for a more patient-centric approach to healthcare systems and to connect disparate systems and increase the accuracy of electronic healthcare records (EHRs). In this systematic review, an analysis of state-of-the-art blockchain research in the field of healthcare is conducted. The aim is to reveal the potential applications of the technology and to highlight the challenges and possible directions of blockchain research in healthcare. First, background information is discussed, followed by a description of the exact methodology used in this paper. Next, an analysis of the results is given, which includes a bibliometric overview, an analysis of gathered data and its properties, and the results of a literature quality assessment. Lastly, there is a discussion of the results from the analysis. The findings indicate that blockchain technology research in healthcare is increasing and it is mostly used for data sharing, managing health records and access control. Other scenarios are very rare. Most research is aimed at presenting novel structural designs in the form of frameworks, architectures or models. Findings also show that technical details about the used blockchain elements are not given in most of the analyzed publications and that most research does not present any prototype implementation or implementation details. Often even with a prototype implementation, no details about blockchain elements are given.
292 citations
TL;DR: This study reviews the current academic research on blockchain, especially in the subject area of business and economics, and explores the top-cited articles, most productive countries, and most common keywords from the Web of Science service.
Abstract: Blockchain is considered by many to be a disruptive core technology. Although many researchers have realized the importance of blockchain, the research of blockchain is still in its infancy. Consequently, this study reviews the current academic research on blockchain, especially in the subject area of business and economics. Based on a systematic review of the literature retrieved from the Web of Science service, we explore the top-cited articles, most productive countries, and most common keywords. Additionally, we conduct a clustering analysis and identify the following five research themes: “economic benefit,” “blockchain technology,” “initial coin offerings,” “fintech revolution,” and “sharing economy.” Recommendations on future research directions and practical applications are also provided in this paper.
270 citations
Cites background from "Hitching Healthcare to the Chain: A..."
...For instance, in the health care sector, blockchain can play an important role in centralizing research data, avoiding prescription drug fraud, and reducing administrative overheads (Engelhardt 2017)....
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...…currency and into finance, and it has even gradually extended into health care, supply chain management, market monitoring, smart energy, and copyright protection (Engelhardt 2017; Hyvarinen et al. 2017; Kim and Laskowski 2018; O'Dair and Beaven 2017; Radanovic and Likic 2018; Savelyev 2018)....
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References
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Book•
13 May 2011
TL;DR: The amount of data in the authors' world has been exploding, and analyzing large data sets will become a key basis of competition, underpinning new waves of productivity growth, innovation, and consumer surplus, according to research by MGI and McKinsey.
Abstract: The amount of data in our world has been exploding, and analyzing large data sets—so-called big data— will become a key basis of competition, underpinning new waves of productivity growth, innovation, and consumer surplus, according to research by MGI and McKinsey's Business Technology Office. Leaders in every sector will have to grapple with the implications of big data, not just a few data-oriented managers. The increasing volume and detail of information captured by enterprises, the rise of multimedia, social media, and the Internet of Things will fuel exponential growth in data for the foreseeable future.
4,700 citations
"Hitching Healthcare to the Chain: A..." refers background in this paper
...…estimated that more than $300 billion could be recovered per year by using health data creatively and effectively, with two-thirds of that in the form of reductions to national health care expenditure – about 8 percent of estimated healthcare spending at 2010 levels (McKinsey & Company, 2011)....
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TL;DR: The large majority of studies on the role of the microbiome in the pathogenesis of disease are correlative and preclinical; several have influenced clinical practice.
Abstract: The large majority of studies on the role of the microbiome in the pathogenesis of disease are correlative and preclinical; several have influenced clinical practice.
2,083 citations
TL;DR: The reporting of trial outcomes is not only frequently incomplete but also biased and inconsistent with protocols and Published articles, as well as reviews that incorporate them, may therefore be unreliable and overestimate the benefits of an intervention.
Abstract: ContextSelective reporting of outcomes within published studies based on the
nature or direction of their results has been widely suspected, but direct
evidence of such bias is currently limited to case reports.ObjectiveTo study empirically the extent and nature of outcome reporting bias
in a cohort of randomized trials.DesignCohort study using protocols and published reports of randomized trials
approved by the Scientific-Ethical Committees for Copenhagen and Frederiksberg,
Denmark, in 1994-1995. The number and characteristics of reported and unreported
trial outcomes were recorded from protocols, journal articles, and a survey
of trialists. An outcome was considered incompletely reported if insufficient
data were presented in the published articles for meta-analysis. Odds ratios
relating the completeness of outcome reporting to statistical significance
were calculated for each trial and then pooled to provide an overall estimate
of bias. Protocols and published articles were also compared to identify discrepancies
in primary outcomes.Main Outcome MeasuresCompleteness of reporting of efficacy and harm outcomes and of statistically
significant vs nonsignificant outcomes; consistency between primary outcomes
defined in the most recent protocols and those defined in published articles.ResultsOne hundred two trials with 122 published journal articles and 3736
outcomes were identified. Overall, 50% of efficacy and 65% of harm outcomes
per trial were incompletely reported. Statistically significant outcomes had
a higher odds of being fully reported compared with nonsignificant outcomes
for both efficacy (pooled odds ratio, 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-4.0)
and harm (pooled odds ratio, 4.7; 95% CI, 1.8-12.0) data. In comparing published
articles with protocols, 62% of trials had at least 1 primary outcome that
was changed, introduced, or omitted. Eighty-six percent of survey responders
(42/49) denied the existence of unreported outcomes despite clear evidence
to the contrary.ConclusionsThe reporting of trial outcomes is not only frequently incomplete but
also biased and inconsistent with protocols. Published articles, as well as
reviews that incorporate them, may therefore be unreliable and overestimate
the benefits of an intervention. To ensure transparency, planned trials should
be registered and protocols should be made publicly available prior to trial
completion.
1,638 citations
"Hitching Healthcare to the Chain: A..." refers background in this paper
...Second, storage would be transparent: it would be clear to participants what data was and was not available, and replication of studies to verify results would be more straightforward, and there is good evidence that closer monitoring of studies is warranted (Chan et al., 2004; Dwan et al., 2013)....
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University Medical Center Groningen1, Novosibirsk State University2, Harvard University3, Aalto University4, Maastricht University5, Rega Institute for Medical Research6, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven7, Wageningen University and Research Centre8, Radboud University Nijmegen9, Broad Institute10, Vrije Universiteit Brussel11
TL;DR: Deep sequencing of the gut microbiomes of 1135 participants from a Dutch population-based cohort shows relations between the microbiome and 126 exogenous and intrinsic host factors, including 31 intrinsic factors, 12 diseases, 19 drug groups, 4 smoking categories, and 60 dietary factors, and an important step toward a better understanding of environment-diet-microbe-host interactions.
Abstract: Deep sequencing of the gut microbiomes of 1135 participants from a Dutch population-based cohort shows relations between the microbiome and 126 exogenous and intrinsic host factors, including 31 intrinsic factors, 12 diseases, 19 drug groups, 4 smoking categories, and 60 dietary factors. These factors collectively explain 18.7% of the variation seen in the interindividual distance of microbial composition. We could associate 110 factors to 125 species and observed that fecal chromogranin A (CgA), a protein secreted by enteroendocrine cells, was exclusively associated with 61 microbial species whose abundance collectively accounted for 53% of microbial composition. Low CgA concentrations were seen in individuals with a more diverse microbiome. These results are an important step toward a better understanding of environment-diet-microbe-host interactions.
1,272 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The authors found that patients do want patient-centered care that explores the patients main reason for the visit concerns and need for information; seeks an integrated understanding of the patients emotional needs and life issues; finds common ground on what the problem is and mutually agrees on management; enhances prevention and health promotion; and enhances the continuing relationship between the patient and the doctor.
Abstract: Patient centeredness is becoming a widely used but poorly understood concept in medical practice. Definitions of patient-centered care are oversimplifications that help in teaching and research but fail to capture the invisible whole of a healing relationship. Acknowledging these limitations researchers seek answers to crucial questions about patient-centered medicine. Little et al. focus on the questions of what constitutes a patient-centered care approach and whether patients want it. Overall their results indicate that patients do want patient-centered care that 1) explores the patients main reason for the visit concerns and need for information; 2) seeks an integrated understanding of the patients emotional needs and life issues; 3) finds common ground on what the problem is and mutually agrees on management; 4) enhances prevention and health promotion; and 5) enhances the continuing relationship between the patient and the doctor. Other papers on patient perceptions of patient centeredness confirm these findings. However two common misunderstandings about the approach may be perpetuated by Little et al.s study. First they cite concerns that patients may not prefer a patient-centered approach and hence its universal adoption would be unwise. Second the basic question of Little et al.s study implies that patient-centered care can be neatly separated into divisible parts.
904 citations