scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question
Journal ArticleDOI

Using Blockchain for Electronic Health Records

TL;DR: The aim of this proposed framework is firstly to implement blockchain technology for EHR and secondly to provide secure storage of electronic records by defining granular access rules for the users of the proposed framework.
Abstract: Blockchain have been an interesting research area for a long time and the benefits it provides have been used by a number of various industries. Similarly, the healthcare sector stands to benefit immensely from the blockchain technology due to security, privacy, confidentiality and decentralization. Nevertheless, the Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems face problems regarding data security, integrity and management. In this paper, we discuss how the blockchain technology can be used to transform the EHR systems and could be a solution of these issues. We present a framework that could be used for the implementation of blockchain technology in healthcare sector for EHR. The aim of our proposed framework is firstly to implement blockchain technology for EHR and secondly to provide secure storage of electronic records by defining granular access rules for the users of the proposed framework. Moreover, this framework also discusses the scalability problem faced by the blockchain technology in general via use of off-chain storage of the records. This framework provides the EHR system with the benefits of having a scalable, secure and integral blockchain-based solution.

Content maybe subject to copyright    Report

Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper discusses how leveraging blockchain for healthcare data management systems can lead to stimulate innovations and bring major improvements, and presents the key blockchain features and characteristics.
Abstract: Today's healthcare data management systems are facing key challenges in terms of data transparency, traceability, immutability, audit, data provenance, flexible access, trust, privacy, and security. Also, a large portion of existing healthcare systems leveraged for managing data are centralized that pose potential risks of single point of failures in case of natural disasters. Blockchain is an emerging and disruptive decentralized technology that has the potential to significantly revolutionize, reshape, and transform the way data are being handled in healthcare industries. In this paper, we discuss how leveraging blockchain for healthcare data management systems can lead to stimulate innovations and bring major improvements. We present the key blockchain features and characteristics. We discuss the premier advantages of adopting blockchain technology along with opportunities for healthcare industries. We present recent on-going projects and case studies to show the practicality of blockchain technology for various healthcare applications. We identify and discuss important open research challenges hindering the successful adoption of blockchain in the healthcare sector. Finally, we outline several future research directions.

171 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Blockchain is a viable technology that can improve the healthcare data sharing and storing system owing to its decentralisation, immutability, transparency and traceability features.

165 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper focuses on sharding as a promising first layer solution to the scalability issue and proposes a taxonomy based on committee formation and intra-committee consensus, and presents a performance-based comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages in existing scalability solutions.
Abstract: Blockchain (eg, Bitcoin and Ethereum) has drawn much attention and has been widely-deployed in recent years However, blockchain scalability is emerging as a challenging issue This paper outlines the existing solutions to blockchain scalability, which can be classified into two categories: first layer and second layer solutions First layer solutions propose modifications to the blockchain (ie, changing the blockchain structure, such as block size) while second layer solutions propose mechanisms that are implemented outside of the blockchain In particular, we focus on sharding as a promising first layer solution to the scalability issue; the basic idea behind sharding is to divide the blockchain network into multiple committees, each processing a separate set of transactions More specifically, (a) we propose a taxonomy based on committee formation and intra-committee consensus; and (b) we compare the main existing sharding-based blockchain protocols We also present a performance-based comparative analysis (ie, throughput and latency), of the advantages, and disadvantages in existing scalability solutions

120 citations


Cites background from "Using Blockchain for Electronic Hea..."

  • ...INTRODUCTION In recent years, Blockchain technology has been widely used in almost all industry segments, including the healthcare sector [24], [25], cryptocurrencies [1], [17], artificial intelligence [22], [23], the government sector [28], [29], internet of things [26], [27], and others [30]....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A comprehensive survey on security improvements achieved in IoT systems using blockchain and the challenges that originate during this integration and the most relevant blockchain based IoT applications are presented.

106 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the benefits, challenges, and functionalities of blockchain applications in different sectors are explored and compared based on factors in three dimensions, which were categorized as benefits (informational, technological, economic, organizational and strategic), challenges (technological, organizational, adoption, operational, and environmental and sustainability), and functionality (point-to-point transmission, data ownership, data protection, and transaction processing).
Abstract: Blockchain technology enables users to verify, preserve, and synchronize the contents of a data sheet (a transaction ledger) replicated by multiple users. Blockchain technology has provided considerable advantages and incentives to industries in terms of enabling better services. This review aims to explore the benefits, challenges and functionalities that affect blockchain applications in different sectors. This article is constructed as a systematic literature review study. From 1976 articles, 168 final articles were selected and classified into three main dimensions, that is, benefits, challenges, and functionalities, in four different sectors: government, financial, manufacturing, and healthcare. The results were extracted and compared based on factors in three dimensions, which were categorized as benefits (informational, technological, economic, organizational, and strategic), challenges (technological, organizational, adoption, operational, and environmental and sustainability), and functionalities (point-to-point transmission, data ownership, data protection, and transaction processing). The results of this review study aim to support professionals, practitioners, and stakeholders who wish to implement and manage transformation projects related to blockchain in their sectors. Moreover, helping these possible blockchain users to understand the implied factors associated with blockchain would be beneficial for the decision-making processes of their organizations.

103 citations

References
More filters
Proceedings ArticleDOI
25 Jun 2017
TL;DR: An overview of blockchain architechture is provided and some typical consensus algorithms used in different blockchains are compared and possible future trends for blockchain are laid out.
Abstract: Blockchain, the foundation of Bitcoin, has received extensive attentions recently. Blockchain serves as an immutable ledger which allows transactions take place in a decentralized manner. Blockchain-based applications are springing up, covering numerous fields including financial services, reputation system and Internet of Things (IoT), and so on. However, there are still many challenges of blockchain technology such as scalability and security problems waiting to be overcome. This paper presents a comprehensive overview on blockchain technology. We provide an overview of blockchain architechture firstly and compare some typical consensus algorithms used in different blockchains. Furthermore, technical challenges and recent advances are briefly listed. We also lay out possible future trends for blockchain.

2,642 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper introduces blockchain technologies, including their benefits, pitfalls, and the latest applications, to the biomedical and health care domains and discusses the potential challenges and proposed solutions of adopting blockchain technologies in biomedical/health care domains.

798 citations


"Using Blockchain for Electronic Hea..." refers background in this paper

  • ...[23], conducted a review that discussed several applications of blockchain in biomedical and healthcare sector....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: FHIRChain is a blockchain-based architecture designed to meet ONC requirements by encapsulating the HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard for shared clinical data and a FHIR chain-based decentralized app using digital health identities to authenticate participants in a case study of collaborative decision making for remote cancer care.
Abstract: Secure and scalable data sharing is essential for collaborative clinical decision making. Conventional clinical data efforts are often siloed, however, which creates barriers to efficient information exchange and impedes effective treatment decision made for patients. This paper provides four contributions to the study of applying blockchain technology to clinical data sharing in the context of technical requirements defined in the "Shared Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap" from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). First, we analyze the ONC requirements and their implications for blockchain-based systems. Second, we present FHIRChain, which is a blockchain-based architecture designed to meet ONC requirements by encapsulating the HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard for shared clinical data. Third, we demonstrate a FHIRChain-based decentralized app using digital health identities to authenticate participants in a case study of collaborative decision making for remote cancer care. Fourth, we highlight key lessons learned from our case study.

455 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors look at how blockchain technology might facilitate the transition from institution-centric to patient-centric data sharing through five mechanisms: (1) digital access rules, (2) data aggregation, (3) data liquidity, (4) patient identity and (5) data immutability.
Abstract: Interoperability in healthcare has traditionally been focused around data exchange between business entities, for example, different hospital systems. However, there has been a recent push towards patient-driven interoperability, in which health data exchange is patient-mediated and patient-driven. Patient-centered interoperability, however, brings with it new challenges and requirements around security and privacy, technology, incentives, and governance that must be addressed for this type of data sharing to succeed at scale. In this paper, we look at how blockchain technology might facilitate this transition through five mechanisms: (1) digital access rules, (2) data aggregation, (3) data liquidity, (4) patient identity, and (5) data immutability. We then look at barriers to blockchain-enabled patient-driven interoperability, specifically clinical data transaction volume, privacy and security, patient engagement, and incentives. We conclude by noting that while patient-driving interoperability is an exciting trend in healthcare, given these challenges, it remains to be seen whether blockchain can facilitate the transition from institution-centric to patient-centric data sharing.

430 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The article describes two national electronic health record models (currently developing in the United States and Australia) and one distributed, personal model and contrasts the US and Australian models in their different architectures and approaches to patient autonomy, privacy, and confidentiality.
Abstract: Emerging electronic health record models present numerous challenges to health care systems, physicians, and regulators. This article provides explanation of some of the reasons driving the development of the electronic health record, describes two national electronic health record models (currently developing in the United States and Australia) and one distributed, personal model. The US and Australian models are contrasted in their different architectures (“pull” versus “push”) and their different approaches to patient autonomy, privacy, and confidentiality. The article also discusses some of the professional, practical, and legal challenges that health care providers potentially face both during and after electronic health record implementation. [J Med Internet Res 2005;7(1):e3]

404 citations


"Using Blockchain for Electronic Hea..." refers background in this paper

  • ...A number of researchers have also identified that using blockchain technology in healthcarewould be a feasible solution [14]–[16]....

    [...]