EVOCARE: Evolution of healthcare records using blockchain

Abstract

The healthcare industry has made significant progress in recent years with the increasing introduction of digitalization and data management. Traditional use of health records, often on paper or distribution of electronic health records (EHRs), poses issues of security, usability, interaction, and patient ownership. To solve these problems, blockchain technology has emerged as an effective solution and heralded a new era in the development of medical information. Blockchain, as a distributed and immutable ledger, solves fundamental problems affecting medical information such as information security, privacy and affected sharing. Thanks to its unique features such as transparency, cryptographic security and smart contracts, blockchain is a patient-centered, secure and interconnected medical information system. This article covers key aspects of integrating block-chain into healthcare information including information security, patient consent, interaction between doctors, and the role of smart contracts in medical automation procedures. The transformation of medical data driven by blockchain technology represents a revolution in data management and provides the opportunity to create a comprehensive, secure and connected healthcare system. However, it is important to solve problems and issues such as scalability, compatibility, and transfer of old systems. To realize the full potential of blockchain in healthcare, partners need to collaborate to develop strong standards, guidelines, and processes.