EMRChain: Electronic Medical Records Management System using Blockchain

Abstract

Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) are traditionally managed by central authorities, posing significant security risks such as data breaches, limited interoperability, and restricted patient control. This system leverages blockchain technology to address these issues, ensuring data remains immutable, transparent, and highly secure. Utilizing the Ethereum network and IPFS technology, our system provides a decentralized framework for storing and sharing medical records. Healthcare professionals, patients, and authorized parties can seamlessly exchange and access records through Ethereum’s decentralized structure and smart contracts, enabling automated and auditable interactions. To enhance confidentiality, all data uploaded to IPFS undergoes AES 256-bit encryption, with the encrypted Content Identifier (CID) stored on the blockchain. This ensures that intercepted CIDs cannot be accessed without the decryption key. IPFS technology facilitates decentralized storage and retrieval, eliminating the need for a centralized server and improving scalability and resilience. Patients retain full control over their health information, granting or revoking access as necessary. This system ensures secure patient identification, precise access management, and data confidentiality while allowing authorized parties to track and trace record access and modifications. Our blockchain-based EMR management system addresses the inherent risks of traditional centralized systems by providing a secure, transparent, and decentralized solution. By leveraging Ethereum and IPFS, it enhances data security, patient control, and interoperability, thus paving the way for more robust and patient-centric healthcare information management. This approach ensures that healthcare data remains secure, patients maintain control over their information, and authorized parties can effectively manage and access the records.