Blockchain-Based E-Health Sharing and Management via Mobile Application

Abstract

Information of any form is a valuable asset, and therefore its protection is one of the most important factors in order to avoid and combat misuse of such information. Consequently, personal health information is considered to be a vital resource. Personal health information are in the form of electronic health records (EHRs) and personal health records (PHRs). Therefore, applying the functionalities of blockchain can help protect the patient’s EHR, PHR and provide permission to access the patient’s information. Blockchain can provide improved data protection through the provision of a decentralized, distributed public record. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines healthcare to be one of the fundamental and basic human rights (World Health Organization (WHO): https://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/fundamental-human-right/en/). It states that “the right to health for all people means that everyone should have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without suffering financial hardship.” However, it has been reported there has been a rise in deaths due to human error, inadequate patient details and inaccurate medical information. These calamities can be reduced through ensuring that the patient’s medical data are organized and protected such that it is available whenever required. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide the functionalities of blockchain using R3 Corda to protect the patient’s personal health information by providing the patient authorization to manage who can access their health records and accordingly provide permission based on the patient’s discretion.