Back to Search
Start Over
Application of Blockchain to Maintaining Patient Records in Electronic Health Record for Enhanced Privacy, Scalability, and Availability
- Source :
- Healthcare Informatics Research, Vol 26, Iss 1, Pp 3-12 (2020), Healthcare Informatics Research
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- The Korean Society of Medical Informatics, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Objectives Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems are increasingly used as an effective method to share patients' records among different hospitals. However, it is still a challenge to access scattered patient data through multiple EHRs. Our goal is to build a system to access patient records easily among EHRs without relying on a centralized supervisory system. Methods We apply consortium blockchain to compose a distributed system using Hyperledger Fabric incorporating existent EHRs. Peer nodes hold the same ledger on which the address of a patient record in an EHR is written. Individual patients are identified by unique certificates issued by a local certificate authorities that collaborate with each other in a channel of the network. To protect a patient's privacy, we use a proxy re-encryption scheme when the data are transferred. We designed and implemented various chaincodes to handle business logic agreed by member organizations of the network. Results We developed a prototype system to implement our concept and tested its performance including chaincode logic. The results demonstrated that our system can be used by doctors to find patient's records and verify patient's consent on access to the data. Patients also can seamlessly receive their past records from other hospitals. The access log is stored transparently and immutably in the ledger that is used for auditing purpose. Conclusions Our system is feasible and flexible with scalability and availability in adapting to existing EHRs for strengthening security and privacy in managing patient records. Our research is expected to provide an effective method to integrate dispersed patient records among medical institutions.
- Subjects :
- Scheme (programming language)
020205 medical informatics
decentralization
Computer science
Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics
Biomedical Engineering
R858-859.7
Health Informatics
02 engineering and technology
Audit
patient data privacy
Computer security
computer.software_genre
Proxy (climate)
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Health Information Management
Channel (programming)
Certificate authority
0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering
Business logic
030212 general & internal medicine
computer.programming_language
electronic health records
Ledger
Scalability
Original Article
health information exchanges
computer
computer security
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20933681
- Volume :
- 26
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Healthcare Informatics Research
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....cec915ede5f809ff268c403f9ff954f2