scholarly journals Implementing Blockchain to Enhance Usability of Patient-Generated Data

Author(s):  
Steffen Baumann ◽  
Richard Stone ◽  
Esra Abdelall ◽  
Varun Srikrishnan ◽  
Thomas Schnieders ◽  
...  

The adoption of blockchain shows a variety of benefits owing to an incorruptible digital ledger and a decentralized database. This has eliminated the need for a gatekeeper to oversee all associated transactions. Blockchain, the underlying technology behind Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies, has found use in many industries besides finance, such as healthcare, where it is used for verifying medical licensing and credentialing, for tracking medical equipment (or consumables) from production to usage, and in cases associated with high levels of privacy and security. Patient data is collected using a plethora of patient-generated data devices, such as Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled wearables, health trackers, and home use medical devices. As a result, the data is siloed amongst several applications and/or vendors’ proprietary solutions. Of all this data, only some of it is transmitted to Electronic Medical Records. This produces the risk that not all data collected will be reviewed at the point of care due to the abundance of data collected. This article explains the areas within healthcare where blockchain could address data usability challenges and analyzes new ways in which patient health data can be collected to address the increasing number of challenges associated with the amount of data being generated over time. It also describes the drivers behind this data collection trend, the associated challenges and the subsequent ramifications. It concludes with a review of previous studies on data usability challenges and the means by which blockchain can be used to overcome these challenges.

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 466
Author(s):  
Timothy Monaghan ◽  
Jo-Anne Manski-Nankervis ◽  
Rachel Canaway

Research utilising de-identified patient health information extracted from electronic medical records (EMRs) from general practices has steadily grown in recent years in response to calls to increase use of health data for research and other secondary purposes in Australia. Little is known about the views of key primary care personnel on this issue, which are important, as they may influence whether practices agree to provide EMR data for research. This exploratory qualitative study investigated the attitudes and beliefs of general practitioners (GPs), practice managers (PMs) and practice nurses (PNs) around sharing de-identified EMR patient health information with researchers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 participants (6 GPs, 3 PMs and 2 PNs) recruited via purposive sampling from general practices in Victoria, Australia. Transcripts were coded and thematically analysed. Participants were generally enthusiastic about research utilising de-identified health information extracted from EMRs for altruistic reasons, including: positive effects on primary care research, clinical practice and population health outcomes. Concerns raised included patient privacy and data breaches, third-party use of extracted data and patient consent. These findings can provide guidance to researchers and policymakers in designing and implementing projects involving de-identified health information extracted from EMRs.


2011 ◽  
pp. 1795-1804
Author(s):  
Jingquan Li ◽  
Michael J. Shaw

The continued growth of healthcare information systems (HCIS) promises to improve quality of care, lower costs, and streamline the entire healthcare system. But the resulting dependence on electronic medical records (EMRs) has also kindled patient concern about who has access to sensitive medical records. Healthcare organizations are obliged to protect patient records under HIPAA. The purpose of this study is to develop a formal privacy policy to protect the privacy and security of EMRs. This article describes the impact of EMRs and HIPAA on patient privacy in healthcare. It proposes access control and audit log policies to safeguard patient privacy. To illustrate the best practices in the healthcare industry, this article presents the case of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The case demonstrates that it is critical for a healthcare organization to have a privacy policy.


1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 197-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Magennis ◽  
Jennifer Mitchell

As electronic patient health information systems become more fully developed and widespread, there are persistent concerns about the privacy and confidentiality of the personal health data being stored and disseminated. Standards Australia has released two Standards which provide useful guidelines for the organisational, technological and human behaviour solutions required to protect privacy and confidentiality in health care organisations. The major requirements of these Standards are outlined and the implications of the Standards for health information managers are discussed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Munish Sharma ◽  
Mahesh Krishnamurthy ◽  
Richard Snyder ◽  
James Mauro

The incorporation of a clinical pharmacist in daily rounding can help identify and correct errors related to anticoagulation dosing. Inappropriate anticoagulant dosing increases the risk of developing significant bleeding diathesis. Conversely, inappropriate dosing may also fail to produce a therapeutic response. We retrospectively reviewed electronic medical records of 41 patients to confirm and analyze the errors related to various anticoagulants. A clinical pharmacist in an integrated rounding between the period of February 2016 and April 2016 collected this data. We concluded that integrated rounding improves patient safety by recognizing anticoagulant dosage error used for the purpose of prophylaxis or treatment. It also allows us to make dose adjustments based on renal function of the patient. We think that it is prudent for physicians to pay particular attention to creatinine clearance when dosing anticoagulants in order to achieve the intended dosing effect and reduce the risk of adverse drug events.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alanna Weisman ◽  
Jacqueline Young ◽  
Karen Tu ◽  
Liisa Jaakimainen ◽  
Lorraine Lipscombe ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naveen K. Singh ◽  
Partha Ray ◽  
Aaron F. Carlin ◽  
Celestine Magallanes ◽  
Sydney C. Morgan ◽  
...  

AbstractSignificant barriers to the diagnosis of latent and acute SARS-CoV-2 infection continue to hamper population-based screening efforts required to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in the absence of effective antiviral therapeutics or vaccines. We report an aptamer-based SARS-CoV-2 salivary antigen assay employing only low-cost reagents ($3.20/test) and an off-the-shelf glucometer. The test was engineered around a glucometer as it is quantitative, easy to use, and the most prevalent piece of diagnostic equipment globally making the test highly scalable with an infrastructure that is already in place. Furthermore, many glucometers connect to smartphones providing an opportunity to integrate with contract tracing apps, medical providers, and electronic medical records. In clinical testing, the developed assay detected SARS-CoV-2 infection in patient saliva across a range of viral loads - as benchmarked by RT-qPCR - within one hour, with 100% sensitivity (positive percent agreement) and distinguished infected specimens from off-target antigens in uninfected controls with 100% specificity (negative percent agreement). We propose that this approach can provide an inexpensive, rapid, and accurate diagnostic for distributed screening of SARS-CoV-2 infection at scale.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Laing ◽  
Jay Mercer

Abstract Background Electronic medical records are widely used in family practices across Canada and can improve health outcomes. However, recent reports indicate that physicians using electronic medical records work longer and have less direct patient contact which may contribute to burnout. Therefore, new and innovative digital tools are essential to reduce physician workloads and improve patient-physician interaction to address physician burnout. The objective of this study was to assess the efficiency and accuracy of clinical decision-making when using a new preventive care point-of-care clinical decision support system (CDSS). An estimate of the potential annual time savings was also determined. This study also assessed physician reported perceived usefulness and ease of use of the CDSS. Methods Quantitative and qualitative data were collected during this study. Each participant evaluated two simulated patient charts and identified which preventive care metrics were due. The participants recorded their decisions and the time required to assess each chart. Participants then completed a Technology Acceptance Model survey regarding the perceived usefulness and ease of use of the CDSS, which included qualitative feedback. The amount of time saved was determined and participants’ clinical decision-making accuracy was scored against current Canadian preventive care guidelines. The number of preventive care specific visits completed per year was determined using clinic billing data. Results The preventive care CDSS saved an average of 195.7 s of chart review time (249.5 s vs 445.2 s; P < 0.001). A total of 1520 preventive visits were performed at Primrose and Bruyère Family Medicine Centres. Extrapolated across the organization, implementation of the new tool could save 82.6 h per year. Decision-making accuracy was not affected by the new tool (78.4% vs 80.9%, P > 0.05). Participants rated the perceived ease of use and usefulness to be very high. Conclusions New digital tools may reduce providers’ workload without impacting clinical decision-making accuracy. Participants indicated that the preventive care CDSS was useful and easy to use. Further software development and clinical studies are required to further improve and characterize the effect this new CDSS has when implemented in clinical practice.


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