Implementing blockchains for efficient healthcare: a systematic review
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Vazirani, Anuraag
O’Donoghue, Odhran
Brindley, David
Meinert, edward
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background: The decentralised nature of sensitive health information can bring about situations where timely information is unavailable, worsening health outcomes. Furthermore, as patient involvement in healthcare increases, there is a growing need for patients to access and control their data. Blockchain is a secure decentralised online ledger that could be used to manage electronic health records efficiently, therefore with the potential to improve health outcomes by creating a conduit for interoperability.
Objective: To perform a systematic review to assess the feasibility of Blockchain as a method of managing healthcare records efficiently.
Methods: Reviewers identified studies via systematic searches of databases including Pubmed, Medline, Scopus, Embase, Proquest and Cochrane Library. Suitability for inclusion of each was assessed independently.
Results: Of 71 included studies, the majority discuss potential benefits and limitations without evaluation of their effectiveness, although some systems were tested on live data.
Conclusions: Blockchain could create a mechanism to manage access to electronic health records stored on the cloud. Using a Blockchain can increase interoperability whilst maintaining privacy and security of data. It contains inherent integrity and conforms to strict legal regulations. Increased interoperability would be beneficial for health outcomes. Although this technology is currently unfamiliar to most, investments into creating a sufficiently user-friendly interface and educating users on how best to take advantage of it would lead to improved health outcomes.
Objective: To perform a systematic review to assess the feasibility of Blockchain as a method of managing healthcare records efficiently.
Methods: Reviewers identified studies via systematic searches of databases including Pubmed, Medline, Scopus, Embase, Proquest and Cochrane Library. Suitability for inclusion of each was assessed independently.
Results: Of 71 included studies, the majority discuss potential benefits and limitations without evaluation of their effectiveness, although some systems were tested on live data.
Conclusions: Blockchain could create a mechanism to manage access to electronic health records stored on the cloud. Using a Blockchain can increase interoperability whilst maintaining privacy and security of data. It contains inherent integrity and conforms to strict legal regulations. Increased interoperability would be beneficial for health outcomes. Although this technology is currently unfamiliar to most, investments into creating a sufficiently user-friendly interface and educating users on how best to take advantage of it would lead to improved health outcomes.
Date Issued
2019-02-12
Date Acceptance
2018-12-29
Citation
Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2019, 21 (2)
ISSN
1438-8871
Publisher
JMIR Publications
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Medical Internet Research
Volume
21
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
©Anuraag A Vazirani, Odhran O'Donoghue, David Brindley, Edward Meinert. Originally published in the Journal of MedicalInternet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 14.02.2019. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the CreativeCommons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, andreproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, is properlycited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on http://www.jmir.org/, as well as this copyrightand license information must be included.
Sponsor
European Institute of Innovation and Technology
Subjects
blockchain
computers
efficiency
electronic health records
health
information science
interoperability
08 Information And Computing Sciences
11 Medical And Health Sciences
17 Psychology And Cognitive Sciences
Medical Informatics
Publication Status
Published