Patient Records and Health Data Management
One of the most significant applications of blockchain in healthcare is improving the way patient health records and data are managed. Currently, patient records and data are often scattered across multiple databases and systems that can’t communicate well with each other. This leads to inefficiencies, lack of access to full patient history when needed, risk of errors, and privacy and security issues.
Blockchain allows for a distributed and secured method of storing patient records and data that gives authorized users access when needed. All medical providers and entities involved in a patient’s care can store information on the same blockchain. This eliminates data silos and gives doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other care team members a single source of truth to provide comprehensive care. Some of the key benefits include:
Patients have control over who can access and share their data through private keys and digital identities. This allows for true patient-centered care.
Records are permanently stored on distributed networks so they can’t be deleted, ensuring record permanence.
Data sharing between providers is seamless and efficient since records reside on interconnected networks.
Risk of errors from manual data entry and transcribing is reduced since information only needs to be captured once on the blockchain.
Data integrity and security is enhanced through encryption, digital signatures, hash functions and other blockchain features.
Supply Chain Management and Counterfeit Drugs
Pharmaceutical counterfeiting poses a huge risk globally with estimates of over $200 billion in counterfeit drugs circulating annually. Blockchain provides an effective solution to securely track pharmaceuticals across the supply chain to prevent counterfeiting. Some ways it can be implemented include:
Encoding drug authentication details such as batch and production numbers on blockchain at manufacturing.
Using blockchain to record each transaction as drugs move from manufacturer to distributors, pharmacies and patients.
Pharmacies and patients can scan QR codes/barcodes on drug packaging to verify authenticity by viewing immutable ledger.
Regulators can trace drugs in case of recalls, track expiration dates and ensure quality standards are followed.
Drug pedigree can be captured – the complete history and movement of a specific drug unit. This builds transparency.
Clinical Trials Management
Running clinical trials is an expensive, complex process afflicted by ineffective paperwork and lack of oversight. Blockchain allows for more streamlined, secure management of clinical trials. Here are some applications:
Patient recruitment and screening records can be captured in a secure, tamper-proof way.
Drug allocation and site inventory can be recorded to ensure proper blinding and drug accountability.
Adverse event reporting can leverage smart contracts for timely compensation.
End-to-end tracking of trial activities like consent, payments, visit adherence and data collection.
Audit trial functionalities provide regulators ability to trace trial activities and detect anomalies or fraud.
Transparent, decentralized data sharing between sponsors and research sites.
Telemedicine and Remote Patient Monitoring
Blockchain supports the growth of telemedicine and remote care models. Some use cases include:
Secure storage and exchange of remote diagnostic data, vital signs and other patient-generated health data.
Tracking remote medical equipment and ensuring asset maintenance and compliance with oversight agencies.
Facilitating remote doctor consults, e-prescription and billing on distributed ledgers.
-Allowing patients to seek second opinions from overseas doctors easily through health passports and digital identities.
Enabling remote patient monitoring for chronic illness where conditions can be tracked without physical visits.
Powering remote medical device security upgrades and technical assistance using smart contracts.
So Blockchain brings much needed transparency, security, immutability and disintermediation to key areas of the healthcare industry that have been traditionally plagued by inefficiencies, costs, risks and lack of trust. The technology helps put patients firmly in control of their own health data while enabling new care models to lower costs and improve outcomes on a global scale.