Facilitating Patient Consent and Data Sharing with Blockchain Smart Contracts

Abstract

The healthcare sector has vast untapped potential in data management in biotech, pharmaceutical companies, research centers, and other clinical institutions. Health research that involves access and analysis of individuals' health information can lead to a much-improved understanding, prevention, and treatment of health conditions. Blockchain's potential has been identified in various applications, including managing personal health data. There are extensive data sets that can advance patient care protocols and deepen the understanding of patient pathology, fostering the development of new treatments. However, there has always been a privacy concern, and the financial value of these datasets deters stakeholders from sharing their data. The regulatory body has provided protection in promoting patent rights and data sharing through initiatives like common health research data spaces and fair data principles. Trust in the healthcare industry is paramount, where the protection of patient information is critical. While patients can withdraw consent for data use in research, blockchain technology offers a solution for managing patient consent and facilitating the securing of the data. This research implements a smart contract system for patient consent management and data sharing amongst state holders, which includes patients, researchers, data controllers, and supercomputer owners. Unlike traditional healthcare data management models, this mechanism shifts power from data controllers to a consortium of stakeholders. This chapter proposes a permission blockchain and smart contract mechanism that can enhance data sharing and consent management in healthcare, offering a more flexible and secure approach to handling sensitive health data.