Raja Wasim Ahmad, Khaled Salah, Raja Jayaraman, Ibrar Yaqoob ¡ 6 authors
<div><b>Objectives: </b>Telehealth and telemedicine systems aim to deliver remote healthcare services to mitigate the spread of COVIDâ19. Also, they can help to manage scarce healthcare resources to control the massive burden of COVID-19 patients in hospitals. However, a large portion of today's telehealth and telemedicine systems are centralized and fall short of providing necessary information security and privacy, operational transparency, health records immutability, and traceability to detect frauds related to patients' insurance claims and physician credentials.</div><div><b>Methods: </b>The current study has explored the potential opportunities and adaptability challenges for blockchain technology in telehealth and telemedicine sector. It has explored the key role that blockchain technology can play to provide necessary information security and privacy, operational transparency, health records immutability, and traceability to detect frauds related to patients' insurance claims and physician credentials.</div><div><b>Results: </b>Blockchain technology can improve telehealth and telemedicine services by offering remote healthcare services in a manner that is decentralized, tamper-proof, transparent, traceable, reliable, trustful, and secure. It enables health professionals to accurately identify frauds related to physician educational credentials and medical testing kits commonly used for home-based diagnosis.</div><div><b>Conclusions: </b>Wide deployment of blockchain in telehealth and telemedicine technology is still in its infancy. Several challenges and research problems need to be resolved to enable the widespread adoption of blockchain technology in telehealth and telemedicine systems.</div><div> </div><div><br></div>
Through a systematic review of publications in reputed peer-reviewed journals, this paper investigates the role of blockchain technology in sustainable supply chain management. It uses the What, Who, Where, When, How, and Why (5W+1H) pattern to formulate research objectives and questions. The review considers publications since 2015, and it includes 187 papers published in 2017, 2018, 2019, and the early part of 2020, since no significant publications were found in the year 2015 or 2016 on this subject. It proposes a reusable classification frameworkâemerging technology literature classification level (ETLCL) frameworkâbased on grounded theory and the technology readiness level for conducting literature reviews in various focus areas of an emerging technology. Subsequently, the study uses ETLCL to classify the literature on our focus area. The results show traceability and transparency as the key benefits of applying blockchain technology. They also indicate a heightened interest in blockchain-based information systems for sustainable supply chain management starting since 2017. This paper offers invaluable insights for managers and leaders who envision sustainability as an essential component of their business. The findings demonstrate the disruptive power and role of blockchain-based information systems. Given the relative novelty of the topic and its scattered literature, the paper helps practitioners examining its various aspects by directing them to the right information sources.
Abstract The explosive epidemic of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has exposed the constraints in health care systems to handle public health emergencies. It's evident that adopting innovative technologies reminiscent of blockchain will facilitate in eective designing operations and resource deployments. Within the health care sector to improve the information management system by reducing delays in regulative approvals, communication between dierent stakeholders of the chain with the help of blockchain technology. To ensure authenticity of the information collected from public and government agencies, blockchain based system plays an important role. This paper tends to review implementation of blockchain application and opportunities in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. To trace according information involving in recent cases, deaths and recovered cases maintaining through blockchain storage system that has been proposed and implemented blockchain system based on Ethereum smart contract. An interactive model and respective algorithm has been explained with detailed analysis on information integrity, security, transparency and traceability.
Yawar Abbas, Alberto Martinetti, Jan-jaap Moerman, Ton Hamberg ¡ 5 authors
This study explores the potential of blockchain technology in enhancing trust among the stakeholders responsible for the maintenance of rolling stock. Although the technology has been widely successful in the financial sector, it is still novel in the maintenance field. Given the customized nature of maintenance processes, it is unclear if a suitable consensus protocol can be identified that can enhance trust among stakeholders. This problem is investigated through the lens of the Design Science Research Methodology. First, the theoretical background of blockchain technology and its role in enhancing trust are explained, followed by the analysis of a current case at a Railway company to test the proof of concept. A business network archive is developed for the maintenance management of the sliding step of the train door system. The archive encompasses the business logic and transactional data required to enhance trust among stakeholders in the quality of performed maintenance. The developed archive is deployed on Hyperledger Fabric and the effectiveness of the solution is evaluated through a survey. The results show that the developed business network, deployed on a customized Hyperledger Fabric consensus protocol, enhanced trust among the stakeholders involved.
Al-hussaini Abulfathi Ibrahim Saleh Al-hussaini, Adamu Abubakar Ibrahim, Mohamad Fauzan Noordin, Hazwani Mohd Mohadis
This paper presents a user study of âperception of the cryptocurrency-based transaction from the Islamic viewsâ. The motivation lies with the fact that some users of cryptocurrency-based transaction raised concern on the nature of transactions with Bitcoin. Specifically, some argued that Bitcoin can be easily used for illegal purposes. Therefore, âTechnological Acceptance Modelâ was adopted and quantitative research methodology was utilized, to formulate and test some hypothesis that will lead to an establishment of a model. Sample of 306 participants was used in the study. The result of the hypothesis testing indicates that âBehavioral Intention to Use Cryptocurrency from the Islamic perspectiveâ is influenced directly by Shariâah Compliance, Perceived Ease of Use, Emotionality, Perceived Usefulness, and Financial Concern. As evident from the analysis, Emotionality is influenced directly by Financial concern and Shariâah Compliance. Whereas, Behavioral Intention is influenced indirectly by Financial Concern. The sample is general and does not specify a specific group of study. This study has contributed to understanding the Islamic issues behind the implementation of Cryptocurrency. This study adopted
BACKGROUND: The application of blockchain technology is being explored to improve the interoperability of patient health information between healthcare organisations while maintaining the privacy and security of data. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this scoping review is to explore and categorise the benefits and threats of blockchain technology application in a healthcare system. METHODS: Databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, IEEE, Springer, and ScienceDirect were searched using a combination of terms related to blockchain, healthcare, benefits and threats. Backward-reference list checking was conducted to identify other relevant references. Study selection process was performed in three steps based on PRISMA flow diagram. Extracted data were synthesised and presented narratively using tables and figures. RESULTS: The search resulted in 84 relevant studies that have been conducted of which only 37 unique studies were included in this review. Eight benefits of blockchain were categorised in either patient related-benefits (security and authorisation, personalised healthcare, patients' health data tracking, and patient's health status monitoring) or organisational-related benefits (health information exchange, pharmaceutical supply chain, clinical trials, and medical insurance management). Meanwhile, eight threats of blockchain were categorised into three groups: organisational threats (installation and transaction costs, interoperability issues, and lack of technical skills), social threats (social acceptance and regulations issues), and technological threats (scalability issues, authorisation and security issues, high energy consumption, and slow processing speeds). CONCLUSION: Blockchain is a viable technology that can improve the healthcare data sharing and storing system owing to its decentralisation, immutability, transparency and traceability features. However, many healthcare organisations remain hesitant to adopt blockchain technology due to threats such as security and authorisation issues, interoperability issues and lack of technical skills related to blockchain technology.
Tim K. Mackey, Ken Miyachi, Danny Fung, Samson Qian ¡ 5 authors
BACKGROUND: An estimated US $2.6 billion loss is attributed to health care fraud and abuse. With traditional health care claims verification and reimbursement, the health care provider submits a claim after rendering services to a patient, which is then verified and reimbursed by the payer. However, this process leaves out a critical stakeholder: the patient for whom the services are actually rendered. This lack of patient participation introduces a risk of fraud and abuse. Blockchain technology enables secure data management with transparency, which could mitigate this risk of health care fraud and abuse. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to develop a framework using blockchain to record claims data and transactions in an immutable format and to enable the patient to act as a validating node to help detect and prevent health care fraud and abuse. METHODS: We developed a health care fraud and abuse blockchain technical framework and prototype using key blockchain tools and application layers including consensus algorithms, smart contracts, tokens, and governance based on digital identity on the Ethereum platform (Ethereum Foundation). RESULTS: Our technical framework maps to the claims adjudication process and focuses on Medicare claims, with the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as the central authority. A prototype of the framework system was developed using the blockchain platform Ethereum (Ethereum Foundation), with its design features, workflow, smart contract functions, system architecture, and software implementation outlined. The software stack used to build the system consisted of a front-end user interface framework, a back-end processing server, and a blockchain network. React was used for the user interface framework, and NodeJS and an Express server were used for the back-end processing server; Solidity was the smart contract language used to interact with a local Ethereum blockchain network. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed framework and the initial prototype have the potential to improve the health care claims process by using blockchain technology for secure data storage and consensus mechanisms, which make the claims adjudication process more patient-centric for the purposes of identifying and preventing health care fraud and abuse. Future work will focus on the use of synthetic or historic CMS claims data to assess the real-world viability of the framework.
Blockchain technology has been recognized as one of the emerging technologies that can significantly innovate many industries. Major advantages of using blockchain technology includes reducing transaction costs, preventing data forgery and alteration, and further flexibility. The construction industry is generally considered as an industry that has great potentials for blockchain technology utilization mainly due to the high volume of transactions among various entities. Despite the perceived positive impact, there have been few cases of blockchain applications within the construction industry. This study is conducted with an aim of finding ways to apply blockchain technology to the construction industry. In order to identify potential application areas, construction lifecycle and project management knowledge areas are used in developing a survey questionnaire. Data collected from the survey is analyzed by employing importance performance analysis (IPA) method considering both applicability of the technology and anticipated impact from utilizing the technology. In relation to the construction project lifecycle, âProject Cost/Change Managementâ, âContract Bidding and Formationâ, and âProcurement Evaluationâ are emerged as top three candidates for blockchain application with high applicability and impact. Regarding the knowledge area, âProcurement Managementâ and âCost Managementâ are identified as the main blockchain application areas with high applicability and impact. All the identified specific construction tasks with high applicability and impact are related to âProcurementâ, âContractâ, and âCostâ. Therefore, it is reasonable to start focusing blockchain convergence efforts these areas and then expand them as the technology matures.
BACKGROUND: Blockchain technology is leveraging its innovative potential in various sectors and its transformation of business-related processes has drawn much attention. Topics of research interest have focused on medical and health care applications, while research implications have generally concluded in system design, literature reviews, and case studies. However, a general overview and knowledge about the impact on the health care ecosystem is limited. OBJECTIVE: This paper explores a potential paradigm shift and ecosystem evolution in health care utilizing blockchain technology. METHODS: A literature review with a case study on a pioneering initiative was conducted. With a systematic life cycle analysis, this study sheds light on the evolutionary development of blockchain in health care scenarios and its interactive relationship among stakeholders. RESULTS: Four stages-birth, expansion, leadership, and self-renewal or death-in the life cycle of the business ecosystem were explored to elucidate the evolving trajectories of blockchain-based health care implementation. Focused impacts on the traditional health care industry are highlighted within each stage to further support the potential health care paradigm shift in the future. CONCLUSIONS: This paper enriches the existing body of literature in this field by illustrating the potential of blockchain in fulfilling stakeholders' needs and elucidating the phenomenon of coevolution within the health care ecosystem. Blockchain not only catalyzes the interactions among players but also facilitates the formation of the ecosystem life cycle. The collaborative network linked by blockchain may play a critical role on value creation, transfer, and sharing among the health care community. Future efforts may focus on empirical or case studies to validate the proposed evolution of the health care ecosystem.
Jamshid Ali Turi, Alaeldeen Saleh Al Adresi, Mohd Ridzuan Darun, Fatimah Mahmud
The focus of this paper is to investigate the impact of information systems and blockchain technology on organizational learning effectiveness. Data was collected from the information system faculty and administrative staff of two different universities in Pakistan and a qualitative approach was used to achieve the objectives of the study. The paper discovered why and how faculty and administrators show resistance or exert influences or assist information system and blockchain initiatives in organizational learning effectiveness and sustainability. A qualitative approach was used in the study to comprehend the recurring phenomenon. The research finding demands the support of the senior faculty members, administrators, and most importantly, the leadership, in the design, orientation, and implementation of information systems and blockchain for organizational learning effectiveness.
Shuchih Ernest Chang, YiChian Chen, Ming-Fang Lu, Hueimin Louis Luo
BACKGROUND: In the home care industry, the assignment and tracking of care services are controlled by care centers that are centralized in nature and prone to inefficient information transmission. A lack of trust among the involved parties, information opaqueness, and large manual manipulation result in lower process efficiency. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore and demonstrate the application of blockchain and smart contract technologies to innovate/renovate home care services for harvesting the desired blockchain benefits of process transparency, traceability, and interoperability. METHODS: An object-oriented analysis/design combined with a unified modeling language tool was used to construct the architecture of the proposed home care service system. System feasibility was evaluated via an implementation test, and a questionnaire survey was performed to collect opinions from home care service respondents knowledgeable about blockchain and smart contracts. RESULTS: According to the comparative analysis results, the proposed design outperformed the existing system in terms of traceability, system efficiency, and process automation. Moreover, for the questionnaire survey, the quantitative analysis results showed that the proposed blockchain-based system had significantly (P<.001) higher mean scores (when compared with the existing system) in terms of important factors, including timeliness, workflow efficiency, automatic notifications, insurance functionality, and auditable traceability. In summary, blockchain-based home care service participants will be able to enjoy improved efficiency, better transparency, and higher levels of process automation. CONCLUSIONS: Blockchain and smart contracts can provide valuable benefits to the home care service industry via distributed data management and process automation. The proposed system enhances user experiences by mitigating human intervention and improving service interoperability, transparency/traceability, and real-time response to home care service events. Efforts in exploring and integrating blockchain-based home care services with emerging technologies, such as the internet of things and artificial intelligence, are expected to provide further benefits and therefore are subject to future research.
Algan Tezel, Eleni Papadonikolaki, Ä°brahim Yitmen, Per Hilletofth
Abstract Blockchain, a peer-to-peer, controlled, distributed database structure, has the potential to profoundly affect current business transactions in the construction industry through smart contracts, cryptocurrencies, and reliable asset tracking. The construction industry is often criticized for being slow in embracing emerging technologies and not effectively diffusing them through its supply chains. Often, the extensive fragmentation, traditional procurement structures, destructive competition, lack of collaboration and transparency, low-profit margins, and human resources are shown as the main culprits for this. As blockchain technology makes its presence felt strongly in many other industries like finance and banking, this study investigates the preparation of construction supply chains for blockchain technology through an explorative analysis. Empirical data for the study were collected through semi-structured interviews with 17 subject experts. Alongside presenting a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis (SWOT), the study exhibits the requirements for and steps toward a construction supply structure facilitated by blockchain technology.
Blockchain is a time-stamped series of immutable records it is managed by a cluster of computers<br> owned by different entities it allows only authorized participants to access data and log of all<br> entries. Multiple industries are adopting blockchain technology to innovate the way they function.<br> over two decades the hospitals function is the same. This space is rife with vertical innovation<br> moreover, are lag with horizontal innovation patient identification and information blocking which<br> is a huge problem in the healthcare industry. With blockchain the healthcare sector can achieve<br> data efficiency, data access flexibility, interconnection, transparency, security, and more. Global<br> economic slowdown has taken a toll on financial services. Forcing Indian companies to expose in<br> the global economy. In the case of finance blockchain help reduce potential costs, labor savings,<br> safe, secure, decentralized, transparent and more. The purpose of this paper is to review the<br> development of blockchain and healthcare, financial services and to provide some references for<br> the possible application of blockchain technology to the healthcare and financial services.<br> secondly, several application scenarios of blockchain in healthcare and financial services are put<br> forward, Finally, the challenges that still exist when applying blockchain technology based on its<br> current implementations in healthcare and financial services.
Purpose Blockchain technology is booming in many industries. Its application in supply chain management is also gradually increasing. Supply chain management (SCM) has long been committed to reducing costs and increasing efficiency and is trying to optimise resources and reduce the sector's fragmentation. Trust has always been an important factor in managing supply chain relationships, and it also affects the efficiency of supply chain operations. To this end, this study aims to examine how trust is affected by the introduction of blockchain technology in construction supply chain management. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on semi-structured interviews and publicly available information from experts in blockchain and construction supply chain management. Through content analysis, the data are analysed thematically to explore how various types of trust, such as system-based, cognition-based and relation-based, are affected by blockchain technology. Findings Blockchain technology provides solutions for data tracking, contracting and transferring resources in supply chain management. These applications help enhance the various sources of trust in SCM and provide supply chain partners with protection mechanisms to avoid the risks and costs of opportunistic behaviour in collaboration, shifting trust from relational to system-based and cognition-based. Research limitations/implications This study focuses only on inter-organisational rather than interpersonal trust and empirical data from experts whose knowledge and cognition could be subjective. Practical implications Leveraging the potential of digitalisation to manage trust requires that leaders and managers actively try to improve contractual arrangements, information sharing and being open to new innovative technologies like blockchain. Social implications From a relational view of supply chain management, the extent to which blockchain technology can develop and spread depends on the readiness of the social capital to accept decentralised governance structures. Originality/value This study builds upon an original data set and discusses features and applications of blockchain technology, explores the sources and dimensions of trust in supply chain management and explains the impact of blockchain technology on trust.
Blockchain technology is gaining consideration more and more and will potentially revolutionize most of the industries. Bitcoin cryptocurrency which uses Blockchain platform, has even promoted this technology more. Blockchain is a decentralized source and encrypted database for storing transaction information. Instead of being dependent on a centralised mediator like bank, by using blockchain, parties can transfer fund promptly trough connected ledgers called blocks. Using this method transactions will significantly be more transparent for both parties. Consequently, transactions are performed based on the distributed trust among other blockchain users in the network. Blockchain will promote transparency in every industry, yet implementation of blockchain technology is still limited. This study focuses to study the possible factors affecting adoption of blockchain technology by focusing on literature review and using Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology as a theoretical basis.
The purpose of the study is to identify and explore different applications of blockchain technology in supply chain management and suggest a framework for their analysis. The study addresses researchers' conflicting opinions regarding the hype of blockchain and clarifies which minor applications are hyped and which are currently more applicable. That helps supply chain practitioners appraise the different applications of blockchains before it is too late to revise a decision regarding their use. The framework was developed based on a systematic literature review of blockchain-related articles, and it was examined with semi-structured interviews with four companies that applied the technology. Findings from the study suggested that traceability and supply chain finance seemed to be the most applicable applications of blockchain technology in supply chain management. But, light was also shed on other applications such as: compliance with standards, supply chain integration and digitalization of the transactions. This study was restricted by the availability of applied cases, as blockchain remains an emerging technology. Therefore, this study cannot be considered a case research, but a literature review followed by a limited number of interviews. However, the study resulted in a conceptual framework that forms the basis for further exploratory studies with more empirical data.
Blockchain technology can be termed as a revolutionary innovation that has transformed the manner of data sharing by making it more secure and immutable. The existence of a mutual trust model which includes every participating entity makes it a widespread adopted technology in recent years. Due to i
Crowdfunding is an innovative way of financing projects that allows anyone to contribute money online and support various initiatives, such as businesses, causes, or solutions. However, traditional crowdfunding platforms face some challenges, such as lack of transparency and security, high fees, and limited control over the funds by the contributors and the project owners. Blockchain technology, which is a P2P, decentralized ledger, which is distributed can offer a more reliable, secure, and transparent solution for crowdfunding. Blockchain-based crowdfunding can leverage smart contracts, which are self-executing agreements that encode the rules and conditions of the funding process and ensure that the funds are released only when the predefined criteria are met. This paper aims to propose a concept for designing efficient smart contracts for crowdfunding, which can enable both the contributors and the project owners to have more control and influence over the funds and the project outcomes. Unlike the existing literature-based ideas, our proposed method not only allows the contributors to invest their own money, but also guarantees them that their token values will be preserved. This method can be integrated without disrupting the existing logic of the blockchain. The methodology provides higher control and transparency for all the parties involved in the crowdfunding process.
Construction Industry is currently evolving around the world. On the other hand, despite the technological advancement across most sectors, construction industry remains amongst laggards in digitalization. Currently, engineering business is facing technological disruption ahead of the fourth industrial revolution; one of which is the blockchain technology! Blockchain is new to construction industry, its challenges and opportunities are yet to be fully realized. This study explores the challenges and potential opportunities of blockchain in the construction industry through extensive review of literature within the blockchain domain vis-Ă -vis construction business domain. The study presents challenges under three categories (technical, regulation and social), and the potential opportunities in to improving efficiency and reducing conflict through transparency and trust. That will ultimately create value for money in the procurement of construction works. Recommendations are made based on the study finding to advance the research on blockchain applications in to the construction industry.
Md. Selim Hossain, Sajjad Waheed, Ziaur Rahman, Sk. A. Shezan ¡ 5 authors
Internet of Things (IoT) that has been developed owing toward the merging of various technologies such as instantaneous analytics, machine learning, artificial neural network, product sensors and implanted systems, etc. It also stages a significant part in multiple applications which are a smart city, smart home, agricultural, health monitoring, tourism, transportation, communication, business, education, etc. The security concern associating IoT has to be situated in the direction to attract the research community due to its immensely growing application in our daily life. Since it is light-weight nature, the security mechanism needs changes apart from comprehensive web security. PKI based certificate driven techniques, which in some instances seem not appropriate on the way toward encounter IoT challenges, e.g., as real-time effectiveness, costs, and performance from the security perspective. However, Blockchain has mind-blowing potentials to peer with the IoT aiming to build trust, transparency, and security. Its distinct properties, such as distributed behavior, immutability, and consensus mechanism, can stimulate and improve the rapidly growing IoT system through meaningful integration. We propose to address a practical smart home use case scenario using Ethereum Blockchain to improve IoT security. Public type and smart contract oriented Ethereum Blockchain are adaptable to enhance IoT security remains individual of the contributions that we claim throughout this research work.
Blockchain applications are considered as âtrustlessâ machines, because they reduce businessâs needs of trust in others. The âtrustlessâ nature draws researchersâ attention on investigating the implications of blockchain in a business environment. From a view of business ethics, this paper aims at evaluating the impacts of blockchain applications on trust and business. After expounding the relations between trust in blockchain and trust in business partners, I evaluate the impacts based on a framework of competence trust, contractual trust, and goodwill trust. My conclusion is that full acceptance of trust in blockchain over trust in others is not good and will cause several risks that cannot be neglected. The main contribution of this paper is investigating and summarizing ethical and commercial risks of blockchain applications including disintermediation fallacy, centralization of trust, ambiguous contract, noncognitive trust in untrustworthy partners, and more actions guided by moral minimum.
Wan Nurhidayat Wan Muhamad, Noor Afiza, Muslihah Wook, Khairul Khalil ¡ 7 authors
Intelligence data are among the critical elements used as a reference for risk-assessment and decision-making regarding national security. The intelligence data are shared among intelligence agencies in the intelligence community in improving the efficiency of their services. Centralised data with central authority is highly exposed to being an easy target of attackers. Leaked or unauthorised access of the intelligence data to a non-intelligence community will bring severe effect to a state. Blockchain as immutable and high-security technology is capable of providing cryptographic data in a decentralised environment and potentially can be applied for data sharing among the intelligence community. However, the acceptance and readiness of users on blockchain usage in the intelligence community are yet to be systematically studied. Considering the statement, this paper proposed an evaluation method to study the acceptance of blockchain technology by integrating a reliable acceptance model for blockchain technology implementation in the intelligence community. The acceptance model consisted of constructs from the Technology Acceptance Model 3 (TAM 3) and Technology Readiness Index 2 (TRI 2) and was analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). In this study, the result indicates that TAM 3 and TRI 2.0 integration model could contribute to determining the acceptance level in developing blockchain-based intelligence data sharing for the intelligence community.
Advanced technology provides greater opportunities for physical integration of transportation modes driven by containerization in respond to the evolving demands of consumer. The inception of Web 2.0, together with Industry 4.0, which introduced digitalisation including Blockchain technology has ushered in a substantial attention in shipping and port operation. The introduction of Blockchain technology - a distributed ledger server to store, verify, and authenticate parties' transactions - will increase the efficiency, consistency, and visibility of the entire supply chain system. It is expected that Blockchain will soon become a standard practice throughout the industry. Many scholars advocate that the next wave of technology will come from Blockchain as it represents the foundation of a new digital supply chain system. This will help improving the overall efficiency by defining traceability while enabling source tracking, optimizing order and freight tracking, and fostering trust between the organization and customers. Therefore, this paper through a comprehensive systematic literature review attempts to investigate the possibility of application of blockchain in shipping and port operation.