Application of Blockchain to Patient-Centric Access Control in Medical Data Management Systems

Abstract

We proposed a novel solution to the privacy issues in medical data management systems with multi-user data-sharing requirement. Our solution leverages the blockchain technology, in combination with Hierarchical Attribute-Based Encryption (HABE) to improve the access control mechanisms in such systems. While the blockchain security model guarantees the enforcement of patient-specified access policies, the principles of attribute-based encryption enforce those policies through encryption as a secondary mechanism against unauthorized access.