Blockchain is a distributed ledger apparatus that utilizes timestamped blocks to manage and verify various transactions between two parties in a network with the help of cryptographic algorithms. As compared to popular opinion, blockchain not only serves as a backbone to cryptocurrencies but it can also serve as a pioneering solution to various disciplinary fields such as healthcare, logistics, and education. The approach taken by this chapter to tackle the various problems faced by the healthcare sector utilizes blockchain technology. It avails smart contracts as well as the decentralized nature of the blockchain and smart tokens to ensure smooth interactions between the patients and the physicians. Protection and maintaining the integrity of healthcare data without overlooking any security threats are the primary objectives of this chapter. This chapter discusses a model that uses a cloud-based decentralized model for the storage of patient data.
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Blockchain is especially an encouraging and revolutionary technology because it helps to reduce the risk, find out fraud, and brings transparency in a scalable way for uncountable uses. Blockchain technology is a system that contains transactional records, also referred to as the block of the public in several databases, known as the “chain,” in a network that is connected through peer-to-peer nodes. Typically, this storage is also identified as a ‘digital ledger.’ Every transaction in this ledger is approved by the digital signature of the owner, which authenticates the transaction and protects it from any sort of external interference. Hence, the information contained by the digital ledger is highly secured. In other words, the digital ledger is just like an excel spreadsheet that is shared among various computers in a network, in which the storage of transactional records is based on actual purchases. The interesting thing about blockchain is that the data can be seen by anyone, but still, they cannot corrupt it (Jiang,2018)
Without the need for a central authority, blockchain technology paves a path for decentralized and distributed systems with the use of cryptographic principles, transactions are both secure and trustworthy. Thanks to the success of cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology have become quite fashionable in recent years and has penetrated various domains. Blockchain has a variety of built-in features like distributed ledger, decentralized storage, authentication, security, and immutability. Apart from this, it has done wonders in fields like Healthcare. Blockchain is a novel network that eliminates the need for a single, centralized authority while still allowing for safe and pseudo-anonymous transactions and agreements to be made directly between parties. The development of Decentralized Apps can work together with blockchain and provide for on-chain storage. Software applications and infrastructure systems, such as electronic medical records (EMRs), should be able to collaborate easily, share data, and use the data through government institutions and app providers in an interoperable healthcare setting (Abdullah Al Omar,2017; De Aguiar,2020)
However, today’s healthcare researchers and professionals face inconsistent evidence, delayed communications, and gapped patient workflows because of vendor-specific and overlapping health networks, making it difficult to deliver customized care (Gaurav Choudhary, 2020;Ilsun You,2018). The lack of a trusted connection that can connect these disparate health systems to form an end-to-end reachable network is a major issue. The healthcare sector has been under constant data breaches. The healthcare data that the various organizations store is very critical because it contains individual’s personally identifiable information (Philip Virgil Astillo,2017; Vojislav B Miˇsi´c,2019). This data is considered to be a treasure of sensitive information by criminals. Data of such a magnitude can cause serious damages to an individual’s financial and personal reputation. This information can be used by cybercriminals for huge financial payoffs.
Blockchain which is known for its security can provide a huge relief to the healthcare sector. Due to the properties mentioned above, blockchain has emerged as a promising means of providing this trustworthy connection.
Figure 1.
How blockchain meets the various healthcare requirements. (Thomas McGhin,2019)