Block MedCare: Advancing healthcare through blockchain integration

TL;DR

This paper presents a blockchain-based system for secure, transparent, and efficient management of healthcare data, addressing key challenges like privacy, scalability, and compliance through innovative architecture and smart contracts.

Contribution

It introduces a novel Ethereum-based healthcare platform with multi-layered security, smart contract functions, and a user-friendly dApp, advancing blockchain integration in healthcare.

Findings

Strong interest among healthcare professionals and IT experts

Identified challenges include integration costs and technological complexity

Validated system through a functional decentralized application

Abstract

In an era driven by information exchange, transparency and security hold crucial importance, particularly within the healthcare industry, where data integrity and confidentiality are paramount. This paper investigates the integration of blockchain technology in healthcare, focusing on its potential to revolutionize Electronic Health Records (EHR) management and data sharing. By leveraging Ethereum-based blockchain implementations and smart contracts, we propose a novel system that empowers patients to securely store and manage their medical data. Our research addresses critical challenges in implementing blockchain in healthcare, including scalability, user privacy, and regulatory compliance. We propose a solution that combines digital signatures, Role-Based Access Control, and a multi-layered architecture to enhance security and ensure controlled access. The system's key functions, including user registration, data append, and data retrieval, are facilitated through smart contracts, providing a secure and efficient mechanism for managing health information. To validate our approach, we developed a decentralized application (dApp) that demonstrates the practical implementation of our blockchain-based healthcare solution. The dApp incorporates user-friendly interfaces for patients, doctors, and administrators, showcasing the system's potential to streamline healthcare processes while maintaining data security and integrity. Additionally, we conducted a survey to gain insights into the perceived benefits and challenges of blockchain adoption in healthcare. The results indicate strong interest among healthcare professionals and IT experts, while also highlighting concerns about integration costs and technological complexity. Our findings...