Trust in blockchain has grown in the past decade. It is gaining recognition as a secure and reliable platform to share sensitive information between multiple parties. This technology has proven particularly useful in sectors like healthcare, where patient data needs to be managed across fragmented healthcare systems.

Blockchain is used in a lot of areas today, including data security and medicinal supply chains. Its distributed ledger technology allows the safe transfer of patient medical files and improves data defenses.  This technology has emerged at a time when healthcare organizations have been facing an increasing number of issues related to data breaches and privacy concerns. Today, they enlist an experienced blockchain app development company

Blockchain Characteristics That Make it a Useful Technology in Healthcare

Blockchain stores information in blocks that are linked in a chain, hence the term. It has multiple features because of which it is well-suited for handling healthcare information.

Decentralized storage

This technology allows the dissemination of data over the network, keeping it decentralized. Hackers find it much more complicated to access compared to the standard data storage system, where everything is stored in a centralized manner. 

Encryption

This lets only authorized users access data, as it is protected using the latest encryption methods.

Smart Contracts

A smart contract is a self-executing legal pact that ensures only users with permission can reach data. It can automate data sharing and processes for managing access.

Immutability

Wrongful manipulation of data is history with this feature because it prevents changes or data deletion once it has been entered into the blockchain.

Major Use Cases of Blockchain App Development in Healthcare

Blockchain is helping the healthcare industry in its shift towards patient-centric experiences.  Various use cases indicate its value in protecting sensitive information through large-scale implementations in the real world.

Securing Healthcare Information

Safeguarding medical data from data breaches is one of the biggest applications of this technology. The growing number of digital records has increased security issues, as attackers can access important information like health testing records and banking details.

Blockchain enables users to maintain a decentralized log of patient records that cannot be corrupted. It maintains privacy by keeping sensitive data hidden behind complex and secure codes. Patients can share their details with doctors and healthcare providers safely without worrying about data hacking because of blockchain’s decentralized nature. Data sharing is quick, reducing the window during which it is vulnerable.

Medical Supply Chain Management

The fact remains that most patients have little clue about the medicine they consume. Chances are, they cannot determine if their medicine has been tampered with. The medical supply chain can be intercepted at any point between the pharmaceutical companies and the consumers, despite originating from legitimate suppliers.

Blockchain’s introduction of decentralization brings much-needed transparency to the entire process. Manufacturers can create a ledger for every drug they make to indicate the point of origin. Each ledger will record the data as the shipment moves from one supplier to the next until it reaches the consumer. The process will be visible to anyone checking the ledger, from location to shipment details. This makes it practically impossible to interfere with the data as it would reflect such changes to all the stakeholders.

Patient Medical Records

Healthcare providers need prompt access to updated medical records. Without it, they often contribute to wasteful spending or low-value spending. Factors like overtreatment and pricing failures contribute to this.

The healthcare system is also vulnerable to fraud, abuse, and administrative complexity, adding to the total national health expenditures without providing equal value in terms of care delivery and coordination. 

Searching for patient records stored under present-day data storage practices is time-consuming. It costs vital staff resources, which delays patient care, a problem easily solvable by introducing blockchain in medical record keeping.

Blockchain offers a single, decentralized ecosystem for complete patient data. This increases efficiency as all the professionals involved in treatment can find the information needed for immediate action. Staff resources are freed from the task of fetching data from different record systems. Doctors are also able to make better diagnoses and devise personalized care plans.

Verifying Professional Credentials

Healthcare professionals undergo strict checks before they are deemed qualified to work in the industry. However, verifying their credentials takes precious time that will be better spent on providing healthcare. Manual checks and document exchanges are also prone to errors, both intentional and accidental.

The solution for this lies in blockchain’s secure and decentralized nature, backed by established healthcare app development services. It enables tamper-proof, transparent storage of credentials in an accessible ledger. Medical professionals can record their degrees, certifications, or licenses on the ledger, where they are secured with encryption. The data on there is authentic and cannot be altered by unauthorized users.

Genomic Research

The potential of genomic research in healthcare improvement is finally being realized, thanks to scientific advancements. Genetic data offers many possibilities in drug development and increases the understanding of human biology.

Genome sequencing is more affordable today than it was two decades ago, and blockchain technology is helping with the increased data derived from this process. It is tackling emerging issues that come with managing huge quantities of sensitive information. 

Legitimate research needs data integrity and makes the right information accessible to authorized individuals. Blockchain encrypts genomic data and keeps it immutable, preventing intruders from making changes.

Clinical Trial Information

Clinical trials have strict protocols in place to maintain participant privacy and security. The data gathered from clinical trials is growing and all of it is stored online, facing the risk of data manipulation and fraud.

Blockchain helps prevent this by encrypting data and protecting it during transmission and storage. It also places access controls that only allow the stakeholders to view or manipulate their information with the consent of other network entities. Participants can also grant or revoke access to their private information as needed, gaining control over who has access and why.

Final Thoughts

The abovementioned use cases indicate how this technology has improved data security. 

To say blockchain has the potential to change how we handle data in healthcare is an understatement. There may be time before it overcomes issues like interoperability and gains broad acceptance. However, its features facilitated by a reliable blockchain app development company are set to play a crucial role in putting patients at the core of the ecosystem.

Author bio –

Emma Hayes is a Blockchain veteran at AppsChopper who has built and maintained apps powered by this technology in several domains. Her experience fuels her curiosity in following the latest advancements and sharing her knowledge through blogs.