Decentralized E-health Patient Record Management System using Blockchain and IPFS

Abstract

The usage of Electronic Health Records (EHR) is becoming increasingly widespread globally. However, there are several issues with the current EHR systems, particularly in terms of privacy and security. Some of the major challenges faced by the current systems are limited infrastructure, shortage of trained healthcare personnel, lack of funding, limited usability, data privacy, lack of proper planning and limited access to technology. The proposed solution addresses many of these problems by utilizing a public Ethereum blockchain to connect hospitals, patients, and doctors worldwide. By utilizing RSA asymmetric key cryptography, the system ensures secure storage and controlled access to records. Patients are given full control over their records and are able to grant or revoke access for hospitals or healthcare centers. Additionally, the system employs IPFS (Interplanetary File System) for record storage to offer the benefits of being decentralized and providing immutability of records. Furthermore, our model is able to maintain disease statistics while maintaining patient privacy.