Designing a National Healthcare Blockchain Consortium: A Cross-Organizational EHR Management

What is it about?

The paper proposes a Blockchain-based solution to safeguard healthcare data in Bangladesh. It utilizes Encrypted Electronic Health Records (EHRs) to securely store personal information. By leveraging Blockchain technology, stakeholders including public and private healthcare providers can collaborate securely while ensuring data integrity. The system employs the Hyperledger Fabric framework for privacy, permissions, and service availability. It establishes user profiles and digital information centers for systematic data collection. The collected health data can be utilized by research institutes and healthcare organizations for analysis and planning. The paper suggests the creation of a national data warehouse to centralize healthcare information for informed decision-making. The proposed solution aims to provide a secure digital strategy for healthcare providers in Bangladesh, protecting sensitive data and enabling collaboration and data-driven decision-making.

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Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This research holds significant importance due to several key reasons. Firstly, healthcare data is highly sensitive and contains personal information that must be protected to ensure patient privacy and maintain public trust. With the increasing digitization of healthcare systems, the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access becomes more prevalent. Therefore, developing robust solutions to safeguard healthcare data is crucial. Secondly, the proposed Blockchain-based approach offers unique advantages for securing healthcare data. By leveraging features like data immutability and smart contracts, Blockchain technology can enhance data integrity and protect against tampering or unauthorized modifications. This ensures the trustworthiness and accuracy of healthcare records, which is vital for providing quality patient care and supporting research initiatives. Furthermore, the research addresses the specific context of Bangladesh, a country with a diverse healthcare landscape comprising both public and private providers. Implementing a standardized, secure digital strategy that can be adopted by various organizations is essential for efficient collaboration and service delivery. The proposed solution can bridge gaps in data sharing and enable seamless communication among different stakeholders, leading to improved healthcare outcomes and streamlined operations. Moreover, the establishment of a national data warehouse and systematic data collection can contribute to evidence-based decision-making and policy formulation. By leveraging the collected health data, research institutes and healthcare organizations can gain valuable insights, conduct meaningful analyses, and identify patterns or trends that can inform public health strategies, resource allocation, and healthcare planning. Overall, this research is significant as it addresses critical challenges in healthcare data security, provides a tailored solution for the context of Bangladesh, and has the potential to improve patient privacy, collaboration, and data-driven decision-making in the healthcare sector.

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