HealthKard - A Digital Decentralized Health Identity and EHR Repository

Abstract

Electronic health records (EHRs) have become the new standard in the healthcare industry, but they have certain disadvantages as well, such as data breaches, data silos, and ownership issues. Blockchain technology, specifically the Ethereum blockchain, offers the potential to resolve these issues by building a decentralized and secure network for the storing and exchanging of health data. This study explores the benefits and drawbacks of using an NFT-based health identification and a decentralized system for storing health records on the Ethereum blockchain. Understanding how these technologies might be applied to build a safe and open system for exchanging and storing health data, is crucial for enhancing the standard of care. In this paper, we propose an open protocol for consent to access the health records of the user using the blockchain network. This consent needs to be given by the user, and no hindrance will be faces while retrieving the medical records of the patient. The study also emphasizes the requirement for a uniform framework in India to enable digital health infrastructure in a safe, decentralized way, with benefits including user consent, portability across national boundaries and ease of access.