Preserving Data Privacy in Electronic Health Records Using Blockchain Technology

2020 ◽  
pp. 195-206
Author(s):  
Sathiyabhama B. ◽  
Rajeswari K. C. ◽  
Reenadevi R. ◽  
Arul Murugan R.
Keyword(s):  
Electronic Health Records ◽  
Data Privacy ◽  
Digital Data ◽  
Healthcare Industry ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Health Records ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
The People ◽  
Predominant Factor ◽  
Electronic Health

Technology is a boon to mankind in this fast-growing era. The advancement in technology is the predominant factor for the sophisticated way of living of the people. In spite of technology, revolution happens across the world, and mankind still suffers due to various health issues. Healthcare industries take immense measures to improve the quality of life. An enormous volume of digital data is being handled every day in the healthcare industry. There arises a need for the intervention of technology in the healthcare industry to be taken to a greater extent. The prime duty of any healthcare industry is to store and maintain those data in the form of electronic health records (EHR) in a secured manner.

Preserving Data Privacy in Electronic Health Records Using Blockchain Technology

2021 ◽  
pp. 1222-1230
Author(s):  
Sathiyabhama B. ◽  
Rajeswari K. C. ◽  
Reenadevi R. ◽  
Arul Murugan R.
Keyword(s):  
Electronic Health Records ◽  
Data Privacy ◽  
Digital Data ◽  
Healthcare Industry ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Health Records ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
The People ◽  
Predominant Factor ◽  
Electronic Health

Technology is a boon to mankind in this fast-growing era. The advancement in technology is the predominant factor for the sophisticated way of living of the people. In spite of technology, revolution happens across the world, and mankind still suffers due to various health issues. Healthcare industries take immense measures to improve the quality of life. An enormous volume of digital data is being handled every day in the healthcare industry. There arises a need for the intervention of technology in the healthcare industry to be taken to a greater extent. The prime duty of any healthcare industry is to store and maintain those data in the form of electronic health records (EHR) in a secured manner.

scholarly journals Healthchain: A novel framework on privacy preservation of electronic health records using blockchain technology

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243043
Author(s):  
Shekha Chenthara ◽  
Khandakar Ahmed ◽  
Hua Wang ◽  
Frank Whittaker ◽  
Zhenxiang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Electronic Health Records ◽  
Data Security ◽  
Data Privacy ◽  
Health Data ◽  
Cyber Attacks ◽  
Security Risk ◽  
Patient Privacy ◽  
Health Records ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Electronic Health

The privacy of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) is facing a major hurdle with outsourcing private health data in the cloud as there exists danger of leaking health information to unauthorized parties. In fact, EHRs are stored on centralized databases that increases the security risk footprint and requires trust in a single authority which cannot effectively protect data from internal attacks. This research focuses on ensuring the patient privacy and data security while sharing the sensitive data across same or different organisations as well as healthcare providers in a distributed environment. This research develops a privacy-preserving framework viz Healthchain based on Blockchain technology that maintains security, privacy, scalability and integrity of the e-health data. The Blockchain is built on Hyperledger fabric, a permissioned distributed ledger solutions by using Hyperledger composer and stores EHRs by utilizing InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) to build this healthchain framework. Moreover, the data stored in the IPFS is encrypted by using a unique cryptographic public key encryption algorithm to create a robust blockchain solution for electronic health data. The objective of the research is to provide a foundation for developing security solutions against cyber-attacks by exploiting the inherent features of the blockchain, and thus contribute to the robustness of healthcare information sharing environments. Through the results, the proposed model shows that the healthcare records are not traceable to unauthorized access as the model stores only the encrypted hash of the records that proves effectiveness in terms of data security, enhanced data privacy, improved data scalability, interoperability and data integrity while sharing and accessing medical records among stakeholders across the healthchain network.

scholarly journals Towards a Stakeholder-Oriented Blockchain-Based Architecture for Electronic Health Records: Design Science Research Study

10.2196/13585 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. e13585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Heinrich Beinke ◽  
Christian Fitte ◽  
Frank Teuteberg
Keyword(s):  
Electronic Health Records ◽  
Data Security ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Design Science Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Records ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Recommendations For Action ◽  
Electronic Health

Background Data security issues still constitute the main reason for the sluggish dissemination of electronic health records (EHRs). Given that blockchain technology offers the possibility to verify transactions through a decentralized network, it may serve as a solution to secure health-related data. Therefore, we have identified stakeholder-specific requirements and propose a blockchain-based architecture for EHRs, while referring to the already existing scientific discussions on the potential of blockchain for use in EHRs. Objective This study aimed to introduce blockchain technology for EHRs, based on identifying stakeholders and systematically eliciting their requirements, and to discuss the key benefits (KBs) and key challenges (KCs) of blockchain technology in the context of EHRs. Methods The blockchain-based architecture was developed in the framework of the design science research paradigm. The requirements were identified using a structured literature review and interviews with nine health care experts. Subsequently, the proposed architecture was evaluated using 4 workshops with 15 participants. Results We identified three major EHR stakeholder groups and 34 respective requirements. On this basis, we developed a five-layer architecture. The subsequent evaluation of the artifact was followed by the discussion of 12 KBs and 12 KCs of a blockchain-based architecture for EHRs. To address the KCs, we derived five recommendations for action for science and practice. Conclusions Our findings indicate that blockchain technology offers considerable potential to advance EHRs. Improvements to currently available EHR solutions are expected, for instance, in the areas of data security, traceability, and automation by smart contracts. Future research could examine the patient’s acceptance of blockchain-based EHRs and cost-benefit analyses.

scholarly journals Towards a Stakeholder-Oriented Blockchain-Based Architecture for Electronic Health Records: Design Science Research Study (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Heinrich Beinke ◽  
Christian Fitte ◽  
Frank Teuteberg
Keyword(s):  
Electronic Health Records ◽  
Data Security ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Design Science Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Records ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Recommendations For Action ◽  
Electronic Health

BACKGROUND Data security issues still constitute the main reason for the sluggish dissemination of electronic health records (EHRs). Given that blockchain technology offers the possibility to verify transactions through a decentralized network, it may serve as a solution to secure health-related data. Therefore, we have identified stakeholder-specific requirements and propose a blockchain-based architecture for EHRs, while referring to the already existing scientific discussions on the potential of blockchain for use in EHRs. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to introduce blockchain technology for EHRs, based on identifying stakeholders and systematically eliciting their requirements, and to discuss the key benefits (KBs) and key challenges (KCs) of blockchain technology in the context of EHRs. METHODS The blockchain-based architecture was developed in the framework of the design science research paradigm. The requirements were identified using a structured literature review and interviews with nine health care experts. Subsequently, the proposed architecture was evaluated using 4 workshops with 15 participants. RESULTS We identified three major EHR stakeholder groups and 34 respective requirements. On this basis, we developed a five-layer architecture. The subsequent evaluation of the artifact was followed by the discussion of 12 KBs and 12 KCs of a blockchain-based architecture for EHRs. To address the KCs, we derived five recommendations for action for science and practice. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that blockchain technology offers considerable potential to advance EHRs. Improvements to currently available EHR solutions are expected, for instance, in the areas of data security, traceability, and automation by smart contracts. Future research could examine the patient’s acceptance of blockchain-based EHRs and cost-benefit analyses.

HealthChain: A Blockchain for Electronic Health Records (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonggang Xiao ◽  
Yanbing Liu ◽  
Yunjun Wu ◽  
Tun Li ◽  
Xingping Xian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Electronic Health Records ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Functional Requirements ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Health Records ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Distributed Ledger ◽  
Electronic Health

BACKGROUND The maintenance of accurate health records of patients is a requirement of health care professionals. Furthermore, these records should be shared across different health care organizations in order for professionals to have a complete review of medical history and avoid missing important information. Nowadays, health care providers use electronic health records (EHRs) as a key to accomplishment of these jobs and delivery of quality care. However, there are technical and legal hurdles that prevent the adoption of these systems, such as the concern about performance and privacy issues. OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper is to build and evaluate an experimental blockchain for EHRs, named HealthChain, which addresses the disadvantages of traditional EHR systems. METHODS HealthChain is built based on consortium blockchain technology. Specifically, three stakeholders, namely hospitals, insurance providers, and governmental agencies, form a consortium that operates under a governance model, which enforces the business logic agreed by all participants. Peer nodes host instance of the distributed ledger consisting of EHRs, and instance of chaincode regulating the permissions of participants; designated orderers establish consensus on the order of EHRs and then disseminate blocks to peers. RESULTS HealthChain achieves the functional and non-functional requirements. While it can store EHRs in distributed ledger and share them among different participants, it demonstrates superior features, such as privacy preserving, security, and high throughout. These are the main reasons why HealthChain is proposed. CONCLUSIONS Consortium blockchain technology can help build EHR system and solve the problems that prevent the adoption of traditional ones.

scholarly journals Flexible Access Control Mechanism for Cloud stored EHR using Consortium Blockchain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eben Exceline C ◽  
Sivakumar Nagarajan
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Computing ◽  
Access Control ◽  
Electronic Health Records ◽  
Data Privacy ◽  
Data Science ◽  
Data Integrity ◽  
Smart Contracts ◽  
Health Records ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Electronic Health

Abstract The persevering pursuit of security has proved historically limiting the implementation of significant design improvements for Electronic Health Records (EHR). Such a vital requirement for these kinds of technical development is revamped now. This is because the patients are motivated by personalization and data science to participate in the health information sharing. The implementation of cloud computing has already shown substantial benefits for both clinical organizations and patients in managing electronic health records. The prime security issue of cloud-based electronic health records is that the patient is physically unable to own a medical record whereas a clinical organization can maintain one for them. The latter may collude with centralized cloud servers. So, there is a vulnerability of such records being tampered with in order to hide the medical malpractices. So, maintaining data integrity and data privacy becomes a significant challenge when deploying cloud computing. Therefore, in this paper, a consortium blockchain-based cloud-stored electronic health record is proposed which provides data integrity, data privacy, storage scalability, and fine-grained access control. Each process in outsourcing electronic health records to the cloud is incorporated as a transaction in a consortium ethereum blockchain through smart contracts. Through smart contracts, an attribute-based contract key is generated for the users that can decrypt the encrypted data stored in the cloud. The attribute-based contract key allows only users who are authorized to access the information ensuring data privacy and fine-grained access control. Moreover, the proposed scheme is proved to provide tamper-proof although the medical records are controlled by a group of clinical organizations.

Electronic Health Record

2012 ◽  
pp. 34-56
Author(s):  
Janine R. A. Kamath ◽  
Amerett L. Donahoe-Anshus
Keyword(s):  
Electronic Health Records ◽  
Personal Health Records ◽  
Health Record ◽  
Healthcare Industry ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Health Records ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Electronic Personal Health Records ◽  
Electronic Health ◽  
The Impact

Over the last two decades there has been considerable deliberation, experience, and research in the arena of Health Information Technology (HIT), Electronic Medical Records (EMR), Electronic Health Records (EHR), and more recently, Electronic Personal Health Records (PHR). Despite the challenges involved in adopting these systems and technologies, there is consensus that they bring significant value to the delivery of trusted and affordable healthcare. The investment involved and the impact on customers, clinical and non-clinical staff, and processes are significant and far reaching. This chapter attempts to synthesize the vast amount of information, experience, and implementation perspectives related to Electronic Health Records with the intent of assisting healthcare institutions and key stakeholders make informed choices as they embark on designing, developing, and implementing an EHR. EHR considerations, challenges, opportunities, and future directions are also addressed. The chapter highlights the power of management engineering to facilitate planning, implementation, and sustainability of the EHR, a critical asset for a healthcare organization and the overall healthcare industry.

scholarly journals BSF-EHR: Blockchain Security Framework for Electronic Health Records of Patients

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 2865
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Abunadi ◽  
Ramasamy Lakshmana Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Electronic Health Records ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Personal Data ◽  
Security And Privacy ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Security Framework ◽  
Health Records ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Electronic Health

In the current epoch of smart homes and cities, personal data such as patients’ names, diseases and addresses are often violated. This is frequently associated with the safety of the electronic health records (EHRs) of patients. EHRs have numerous benefits worldwide, but at present, EHR information is subject to considerable security and privacy issues. This paper proposes a way to provide a secure solution to these issues. Previous sophisticated techniques dealing with the protection of EHRs usually make data inaccessible to patients. These techniques struggle to balance data confidentiality, patient demand and constant interaction with provider data. Blockchain technology solves the above problems since it distributes information in a transactional and decentralized manner. The usage of blockchain technology could help the health sector to balance the accessibility and privacy of EHRs. This paper proposes a blockchain security framework (BSF) to effectively and securely store and keep EHRs. It presents a safe and proficient means of acquiring medical information for doctors, patients and insurance agents while protecting the patient’s data. This work aims to examine how our proposed framework meets the security needs of doctors, patients and third parties and how the structure addresses safety and confidentiality concerns in the healthcare sector. Simulation outcomes show that this framework efficiently protects EHR data.

scholarly journals Towards a Blockchain Assisted Patient Owned System for Electronic Health Records

Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 580
Author(s):  
Tomilayo Fatokun ◽  
Avishek Nag ◽  
Sachin Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Electronic Health Records ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Data Exchange ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Security And Privacy ◽  
Healthcare Industry ◽  
Health Records ◽  
Electronic Health ◽  
Patient Centric

Security and privacy of patients’ data is a major concern in the healthcare industry. In this paper, we propose a system that activates robust security and privacy of patients’ medical records as well as enables interoperability and data exchange between the different healthcare providers. The work proposes the shift from patient’s electronic health records being managed and controlled by the healthcare industry to a patient-centric application where patients are in control of their data. The aim of this research is to build an Electronic Healthcare Record (EHR) system that is layered on the Ethereum blockchain platform and smart contract in order to eliminate the need for third-party systems. With this system, the healthcare provider can search for patient’s data and request the patients’ consent to access it. Patients manage their data which enables an expedited data exchange across EHR systems. Each patient’s data are stored on the peer-to-peer node ledger. The proposed patient-centric EHR platform is cross-platform compliant, as it can be accessed via personal computers and mobile devices and facilitates interoperability across healthcare providers as patients’ medical records are gathered from different healthcare providers and stored in a unified format. The proposed framework is tested on a private Ethereum network using Ganache. The results show the effectiveness of the system with respect to security, privacy, performance and interoperability.

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