Research and Discuss the potential applications of Blockchain in the Health care industry

INTRODUCTION

Generally, one of the most important sectors worth focusing on is the Healthcare Sector since it concerns life. Looking at last year when Covid-19 ravaged the world, all focus was on the health care industry because they provide science-based solutions to problems related to life.

However, blockchain is a decentralized distributed ledger system that has provided lots of solutions in the day to day such as anonymity, scalability, transparency, privacy, security, etc. Hence, the application of blockchain in the Health Care industry based on all these special attributes can play a vital part in the effectiveness and efficiency of health care.

Though most of the nations has not adopted the use of blockchain in the health care industry, over 95% of Estonia health information is ledger-based as such this shows a good result of the application of the blockchain.

For better clarification of this task, let's check out Health Care Industry, the problems faced by Health Care Industry, blockchain technology and its potential application in Health Care Industry.

HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

Broadly speaking, the Health Care Industry (HCI) is among the largest industry worldwide and has numerous medical staff that provide services on science-based solutions to problems related to the life of patients, as such worth focusing on. This industry focus is for diagnosing, treating, preventing, and medical insurance of all kinds of human-related life concerns.

Looking at the Covid-19 preventive vaccine produced by the Health Care Industry shows the rapid growth of this industry in the aspect of technological innovation and medical research. Perhaps, during the pandemic, there was lots of victims and also patients with other related life problems which the medical personnel attended. As such, this call for data recording, transaction processing, and other computation services that is centralized, and unsecured which lead to an inefficient system.

Hence, the adoption of blockchain technology can play a vital role to address potential problems faced by the Health Care Industry which can enhance the efficiency of the system.

Let's check out some of the problems faced by the Health Care Industry.

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PROBLEM FACED BY THE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

PRIVACY

Patient's privacy data is a fundamental challenge in Health Care Industry as patient data are conveyed to physicians. The use of centralized saving of records in the health care ecosystem enables only those in charge of the record to have access to all the health reports of patients. Hence, this serves as a privacy challenge.

SECURITY MEASURES

Another problem faced by Health Care Industry is the security measure. The most hospital does not have a proper place where patients data is stored. It is said that a place that stores large quantities of medical records that are not regulated whereby it's shared by multiple providers or physicians is prone to data thieves. Also, once the person might have had to break into a physician's office and flip through the document/data in an unencrypted folder to access a patient's medical history, which is caused as a result of poor security measures.

SCALABILITY ISSUES

Honestly, one of the problems the health care industry is facing is scalability because the carrying capacity of the health care industry is not enough for the patients due to the increasing population in the world currently just as we experienced during the pandemic where the health care sectors were not capable to scale the issue of the increasing population as well as renovation of service.

CONFIRMABILITY OF DRUGS💊

This is another measure problem. Generally, in Health Care Industry, the production of drugs require lots of raw materials, types of equipment, etc. Different organisations have different ways of creating drugs and most of them does not have the required raw materials or equipment for the proliferation of drugs.

As such, fake and expired drugs 💊 are produced because there's no connection between the organizations(medicine production and distribution) that's some organizations produce a large number of drugs, and most of them expire while some produce fake drugs as well. Hence, confirming and verifying drugs remains a measure issue affecting the functionality of this industry since the health care industry is not authorised by a verified company.

EQUALITY & FINANCIAL ISSUES

Most poor people don't go for checkups or treatment in the hospital because of the fear of the high-cost demand by medical physicians. Now, it seems only the rich tend to go for checkups or treatment. Though the high cost is due to the use of highly advanced level of technologies and lack of connection between the owner and his staff that's when the owner fails to pay his staff. Hence, financial issues tend to affect the effectiveness of the Health Care industry.

Let's check out blockchain technology

BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY

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Blockchain is a decentralized distributed ledger system that store data in blocks that are aggregated in the chain. That's all the data stored on the block can be accessed by opening it using keys. However, this technology was first initiated by Satoshi Nakamoto in a white paper in 2008.

Based on the potential features blockchain is characterized, there is every tendency to get 100℅ of privacy and security on our data as well as the transactions(P2P). Also, there will be a reduction of a financial issue(high cost) since there is no third party involvement. Moreover, the authenticity and healthfulness of Blockchain, means Healthcare data are completely protected from thieves through the use of cryptographic algorithms of blockchain as such makes already stored data to be unchanged/unrepeated.

With this effect, lots of ideas have come up that when this technology is adopted in Health Care Environment, it will resolve some challenges in the Health Care domain. So, with the application of blockchain in the health care industry, there will be effective and efficient in the health care industry.

Looking at the potential features of blockchain, it is sure that the blockchain will resolve the current outstanding challenges that act as impediments to the successful implementation of privacy, scalability and security measures of the Health Care Industry.

I know most people may be shocked, does the blockchain technology used in the cryptocurrency be applied in the healthcare industry. Let's check the potential application of blockchain technology in Health Care Industry.

POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS OF BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY IN THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY

PRIVACY & SECURITY

Maintaining the privacy and security of patient's data is one of the cornerstones of the successful healthcare industry. With paper records which are normally used in our day to day, patient's privacy data is an issue, as data exchange was point-to-point, for instance, faxing records from one medical physician to another as such result to create more patient's privacy data.

However, this can be addressed with the adoption of blockchain technology. One possible means to mitigate the issue of privacy and security using blockchain technology is through the creation of pseudo IDs for the involved users. This will offer anonymity to such users, and the hash function in the blockchain will offer much anonymity to such patients as well.

Moreover, this can be achieved with the help of homomorphic encryption that's the use of related keys which will offer another high-level dimension of such user privacy in blockchain systems. That's patient's data will be encrypted in a system with aid of cryptographic keys where only the user with the Pseudo IDs can access the data.

Examples of institutions/company that operates blockchain devoted for Healthcare saving of record are MEDICALCHAIN, HECOD, GUARDTIME, etc.

Furthermore, it will increase the security level in healthcare ecosystem by preventing hackers from accessing the data.

INTEROPERABILITY OF DATA

Hence, the adoption of blockchain can address the issue of interoperability of data through the Electronic Medical Records-EMR (series of medical data regarding a patients health history stored on a computer). Electronic Medical Records can be operated using blockchain technology. Remember blockchain is decentralised and it can enable data sharing as well as permission between healthcare practitioners which will increase healthcare management. Also, it will enable the patients to anticipate the medical doctor to check on them.

The image above shows how easy a transaction can be with the use of blockchain in the health healthcare system. Looking at the image, Mr Manic was vaccinated 💊 💉 by a medical doctor and the details of the doctor's visit were recorded on the Electronic Medical Records(EMR) as such it indicates a blockchain. Also, the information can only be accessed for only those trusted by the family simultaneously.

Another unique aspect is that accessing data become so easy between the patients and the medical staff. As such, medical doctors can check on the past medical history and treatment of the patients they took in a different hospital before proceeding. Hence, prevent time waste and duplication or missing of the medical document as well as promote interoperability of data since there is the connection of different departments(patients & medical staff) in the healthcare ecosystem.

Example of a company practising this is the MEDICALCHAIN whose objective is to enable the patient to be in control of their medical data.

USE OF SMART CONTRACTS & INTERNET OF THINGS

The use of smart contracts and IoT is another impact of blockchain in the health care industry. Using Blockchain smart medical equipment that are automated programs to detect the health status of a patient like the body temperature, blood pressure, electronic reading of impulse such as heartbeat, and notifying abnormalities like heart attack, asthmatic, etc. will increase the effectiveness and efficiency in the health care industry.

TRACKING OF DRUGS

The production of fake drugs is a major challenge in the health care ecosystem. However, it can be addressed with the adoption of blockchain in this industry by monitoring the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain. Through blockchain, the use of the monitor sensor such as radiofrequency identification (RFID) can be used for tracking and authenticity of fake drugs as well as medical equipment. This eliminates the supply of fake drugs as such, it will enhance transparency in the medical ecosystem.

CONCLUSION

Health Care Industry is an important sector and needs to be adequately effective since it concern life. Perhaps, there is a well-known fact spreading that a person's medical report is their weakness as such the person will make sure to hide the report containing their deepest personal health details except for their trusted family doctor.

However, the introduction of blockchain technology to the healthcare industry means innovations for managing and control information as such can mitigate the challenges associated with privacy, scalability, security measures, etc.

Hence, the authenticity and healthfulness of Blockchain, means Healthcare data are completely protected from thieves through the use of cryptographic algorithms of blockchain as such makes already stored data to be unchanged.

THANKS FOR READING THROUGH

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@yohan2on