Decentralized and securely shared, a blockchain is a distributed ledger of information. Blockchain technology allows a trusted network of users to efficiently and transparently share information. Blockchain cloud services make it simple to gather, integrate, and share transactional data from various sources. Data is distributed in the form of blocks that are linked using cryptographic hashes as their identifiers.
Blockchain ensures data reliability by serving as a trusted, central repository for all transactional and identity-related data.
When data in a blockchain system cannot be modified without the consent of a majority of the parties, fraud and data tampering are rendered impossible. While the blockchain ledger can be distributed, it cannot be modified by anyone else. All users will be made aware of any attempt to tamper with data and will be able to identify the culprit.
How Blockchain Works for Healthcare
A lot of people in the field of health IT and IT security are hearing about blockchain these days. It’s the key to seamless integration, they say. Plus, “the technology can solve healthcare’s looming security problems.”
All blockchain transactions are publicly available and recorded in order of their occurrence. The database displays a continuously growing list of chronologically ordered “blocks,” each of which is linked to the one that came before it to form a chain.
Each block is irrefutable proof that a particular transaction occurred and cannot be altered in any way. This is precisely why many in the healthcare industry are optimistic about blockchain’s potential for protecting patient information. Because of its transparency and decentralization, it may be ideally suited for use in healthcare recordkeeping and identity verification.
Blockchain records can be dispersed and shared across networks like a database, with authorized users able to add to the record but not delete or change the underlying transaction history. Because of the encrypted nature of the transactions, the network is responsible for ensuring their legitimacy. “The software used to build a chain ensures that everyone on the network sees, validates, and confirms each proposed next block of data in the chain,” Brian Behlendorf wrote in a HIMSS blog post.
Also get to know about other Blockchain related topics like blockchain development services in healthcare, benefits of blockchain in healthcare, and many more.
Applications of Blockchain in the Healthcare Sector
Blockchain technology has the potential to be used by healthcare systems for the secure storage of medical records and the real-time updation of patient data across multiple locations and facilities. As a result, healthcare facilities would be able to redirect resources previously spent on administrative costs toward direct patient care and innovative programming.
1) Providing Accommodation
Using blockchain technology, data can be securely shared between different sectors of the healthcare industry, including hospitals, labs, and pharmacies. The majority of the information that is being exchanged consists of diagnoses, treatment histories, medication lists, and insurance claims.
2) Improved Patient Treatment
When used to create a centralized database, blockchain technology could make it possible for authorized users to quickly and easily access their health records online. If healthcare providers could better communicate with one another, they could catch errors earlier, make more timely diagnoses and interventions, and tailor their care to the specific needs of each patient.
3) Genomic Data Protection
As more businesses offer consumer-level DNA sequencing, theft of sensitive genomic data has emerged as a major concern. Blockchain technology not only helps to prevent this problem but it can also be used to build a market where researchers can buy genomic data online.
4) Insurance and Supply Chain Settlements using Smart Contracts
Pharmaceutical and medical device original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), wholesalers, insurers, and healthcare providers can all benefit from blockchain-based systems that verify their legitimacy as businesses, record contract terms, and keep tabs on sales and payments.
5) Medical Data Security Assurance
Pharmaceutical companies spend millions on research and development, but protecting their trade secrets may be even more vital. Loss of proprietary information could cause pharmaceutical firms to lose a significant portion of their market in a hurry.
6) Improving Communication Between Providers and Patients
Blockchain technology could provide a workable answer to this problem. There are decentralized alternatives to the blockchain. Therefore, the information is not kept in a central location but rather is dispersed across multiple nodes in the network.
Whenever data is modified in one node, it is replicated to all other nodes immediately. This makes it easier to provide your most up-to-date medical records to any doctor or other healthcare provider in a flash.
Improving Healthcare Security Through Education
In the current setup, security and trust are two major business concerns when exchanging data with other organizations. The lack of control over the entry of data introduces trust problems, especially in the healthcare sector. Also problematic is the lack of validation of patient records held by different vendors, which can lead to a wide variety of mistakes, inconsistencies, and omissions. Officials in the healthcare industry have good reason to be wary of the internet in light of reports of security breaches, tampering with personal data, and the constant threat of hacking.
Blockchain technology may alleviate many of these worries because it is cryptographically secure, and the data contained within it can be authenticated with a digital signature that is unique to each user.
Conclusion
Both COVID-19-related and non-COVID-19-related applications of blockchain technology in health care are summarised in our systematic review. The first major discovery is that research into COVID-19 focuses primarily on pandemic control and surveillance, contact tracing, and immunity or vaccine passports, in contrast to research into other infectious diseases.
Second, although the majority of blockchain studies have concentrated on electronic medical records, this area of study has broadened considerably over the past four years to include other applications. Telemedicine and supply chain monitoring are two examples of these uses for blockchain technology.