TY - JOUR
T1 - Blockchain-Based Framework for Interoperable Electronic Health Records for an Improved Healthcare System
AU - Reegu, Faheem Ahmad
AU - Abas, Hafiza
AU - Gulzar, Yonis
AU - Xin, Qin
AU - Alwan, Ali A.
AU - Jabbari, Abdoh
AU - Sonkamble, Rahul Ganpatrao
AU - Dziyauddin, Rudzidatul Akmam
PY - 2023/4/7
Y1 - 2023/4/7
N2 - The healthcare industry has been transitioning from paper-based medical records to electronic health records (EHRs) in most healthcare facilities. However, the current EHR frameworks face challenges in secure data storage, credibility, and management. Interoperability and user control of personal data are also significant concerns in the healthcare sector. Although block chain technology has emerged as a powerful solution that can offer the properties of immutability, security, and user control on stored records, its potential application in EHR frameworks is not yet fully understood. To address this gap in knowledge, this research aims to provide an interoperable blockchain-based EHR framework that can fulfill the requirements defined by various national and international EHR standards such as HIPAA and HL7. The research method employed is a systematic literature review to explore the current state of the art in the field of EHRs, including blockchain-based implementations of EHRs. The study defines the interoperability issues in the existing blockchain-based EHR frameworks, reviews various national and international standards of EHR, and further defines the interoperability requirements based on these standards. The proposed framework can offer safer methods to interchange health information for the healthcare sector and can provide the properties of immutability, security, and user control on stored records without the need for centralized storage. The contributions of this work include enhancing the understanding of the potential application of blockchain technology in EHR frameworks and proposing an interoperable blockchain-based EHR framework that can fulfill the requirements defined by various national and international EHR standards. Overall, this study has significant implications for the healthcare sector, as it can enhance the secure sharing and storage of electronic health data while ensuring the confidentiality, privacy, and integrity of medical records.
AB - The healthcare industry has been transitioning from paper-based medical records to electronic health records (EHRs) in most healthcare facilities. However, the current EHR frameworks face challenges in secure data storage, credibility, and management. Interoperability and user control of personal data are also significant concerns in the healthcare sector. Although block chain technology has emerged as a powerful solution that can offer the properties of immutability, security, and user control on stored records, its potential application in EHR frameworks is not yet fully understood. To address this gap in knowledge, this research aims to provide an interoperable blockchain-based EHR framework that can fulfill the requirements defined by various national and international EHR standards such as HIPAA and HL7. The research method employed is a systematic literature review to explore the current state of the art in the field of EHRs, including blockchain-based implementations of EHRs. The study defines the interoperability issues in the existing blockchain-based EHR frameworks, reviews various national and international standards of EHR, and further defines the interoperability requirements based on these standards. The proposed framework can offer safer methods to interchange health information for the healthcare sector and can provide the properties of immutability, security, and user control on stored records without the need for centralized storage. The contributions of this work include enhancing the understanding of the potential application of blockchain technology in EHR frameworks and proposing an interoperable blockchain-based EHR framework that can fulfill the requirements defined by various national and international EHR standards. Overall, this study has significant implications for the healthcare sector, as it can enhance the secure sharing and storage of electronic health data while ensuring the confidentiality, privacy, and integrity of medical records.
KW - blockchain
KW - electronic health records (EHRs)
KW - healthcare
KW - security
KW - privacy
UR - https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086337
U2 - 10.3390/su15086337
DO - 10.3390/su15086337
M3 - Article
VL - 15
JO - Sustainability
JF - Sustainability
IS - 8
M1 - 6337
ER -