Blockchain-Based Smart and Secure Healthcare System

Abstract

The healthcare data today is scrappy and not stored properly at a single location. However, some of the records are not even made digital that leads to diffident researches. The number of substandard medicines in the market is increasing, so is the deceitful insurance claims. Moreover, the patient-centric models are in high demand, because the patients are becoming more aware of all the aspects and requesting an infrastructure that gives most of the controls to patients themselves. Such systems would reduce the need for intermediaries, and also keep the confidentiality and anonymity of the patient data intact. The desired framework is supposed to safely handle the Electronic Health Records (EHRs), insurance claims and regulatory policies, promote researches and medicinal discoveries, etc. The healthcare data is big and heterogeneous that is usually stored in the cloud environment. However, the number of attackers on the cloud is increasing; therefore, a framework is required where the data privacy is maintained. In this chapter, a smart healthcare system based on blockchain technology is discussed, which would have the ability to provide real-time data access in a transparent, traceable, and trustful manner. The blockchain has transformed several industries including finance, manufacturing, e-commerce, education, etc. and is making its way into the healthcare industry as well. The blockchain is a distributed technology based on peer-to-peer decentralized network, which does not have any central authority controlling the system. The data within the blockchain network is represented in the forms of blocks. Cryptographic algorithms are also applied to maintain the integrity of the data. Thus, making it the appropriate choice for healthcare applications.