Designing an efficient medical history exchange system using blockchain technology

Abstract

In a country like India where there is still considerable scope for development in the healthcare sector, innovation in the medical practices to ease the operational process becomes more critical. Often, patients switch from one medical practitioner to other depending on the type of health issue, time and place, in the process leaving data behind without any record of their medical history. It becomes difficult to review the full health record of an individual and provide better services more so when the patients move out of their country to access the best healthcare services available across the globe. The necessity of an integrated system called Medical History Exchange (MHE) becomes essential due to the uneven distribution of quality health care services across the globe. Medical History Exchange, which is commonly termed as Electronic Medical Records (EMR) or Electronic Health Records (EHR), is a system which facilitates the sharing of medical information across the various stakeholders and organizations. The most important aspect of this exchange of data is to maintain its integrity and privacy. A system providing such a mechanism, if supported by adequate information systems, can potentially offer a lot to the Healthcare Ecosystem. It can improve the effectiveness of the services being provided through reduced costs, effective use of available resources and timely treatment. It would ensure consistency and accessibility of patient’s health information for the health care providers to give treatment and improve the quality and efficiency of their services. It is fundamentally essential to address these barriers while designing an integrated medical exchange system. In today’s digital world, patients would be willing to use EMR systems which provide convenience and reduce redundancy. It is crucial to establish trust with patients for their continued participation in the medical system which can offer transparency and confidentiality of the information being stored/shared. The study identifies the challenges existing in the current medical practices and healthcare industry. We also figured out the problems that may be addressed by implementing an MHE system in the India context. The proposed model addresses the issues which if resolved can improve the health care services significantly. We suggest the use of a recent innovative technology like blockchain on which bitcoin i.e. a type of smart contract is based to implement the MHE which essentially addresses most of the legal and privacy issues involved. The system if implemented can open enormous opportunities for medical researchers, health insurance providers, automobile insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies, but more importantly for the primary stakeholders: patients and doctors.