LIGHTWEIGHT BLOCKCHAIN AND IOMT FOR SUSTAINABLE SECURE REMOTE HEALTHCARE IN THE POST-PANDEMIC ERA

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital health solutions such as telemedicine, Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), and AI-based diagnostics, enabling remote monitoring and contactless consultations. While IoMT devices—including wearable sensors and implantables—have enhanced continuous healthcare delivery, they have also introduced challenges related to security, privacy, interoperability, and latency. Traditional blockchain frameworks, though effective in ensuring decentralized trust and immutability, are resource-intensive and unsuitable for constrained IoMT environments. To address these limitations, this study proposes a Lightweight Blockchain–IoMT framework tailored for secure remote healthcare in the post-pandemic era. The proposed architecture follows a three-tier design: (i) the IoMT Device Layer for real-time physiological data collection, (ii) the Fog/Edge Layer functioning as blockchain gateways for authentication and pre-processing, and (iii) the Cloud Layer for storage, analytics, and decision support. By incorporating lightweight consensus mechanisms such as Proof-of-Authentication (PoAh) or Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS), the system minimizes latency and energy consumption compared to Proof-of-Work. Security is reinforced through elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) and smart contracts, ensuring data confidentiality, integrity, and controlled access, while complying with global standards such as HIPAA and GDPR. Experimental analysis demonstrates that the lightweight blockchain–IoMT framework outperforms conventional blockchain models in transaction throughput, scalability, and energy efficiency. Moreover, the integration of machine learning within the cloud layer supports predictive analytics and personalized care.