Blockchain and Facilitating Change in Healthcare?

Hello valued readers, please follow the most scientific and evidence-based suggestions that our government recommends (gov.uk/coronavirus), where appropriate, I urge you to follow lockdown and maintain social distancing for the good of yourself and families. One instance of contact is all that is necessary for you to contribute to the spread of this virus, even to those whom you love, to those who have worked day and night to become clinical staff, it would be nothing but a great shame to endanger far more lives for your own mistakes - it’s difficult but we will all get through it as a united globe. Stay safe, and best wishes from myself and all at AIDaily.


Although COVID-19 is undeniably a tragedy that brought the world to a literal stand still, that ended so many innocent lives and something that will mark this year with an associated macabre, at least this crisis has reminded humanity how little we know in the grand scheme of things and how in general little we are prepared for the next crisis to befall humanity, but also it has sparked off medical innovation as we hope for a more secure future. This is highlighted by a recent edition of OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology - one that stresses the importances of key technologies that are to become of great significant in the healthcare industry - those you would expect such as artificial intelligence but also intriguing propositions such as blockchain. Perhaps a bit unforeseen as blockchain is widely associated with the entirely different worlds cryptocurrency and crytography. Regardless, Vural Özdemir, who is the Editor in Chief for OMICS noted that “COVID-19 is undoubtedly among the ecological determinants of planetary health. Digital health is a veritable opportunity for integrative biology and systems medicine to broaden its scope from human biology to ecological determinants of health. This is very important.”. So lets delve into what these technologies are and what they could do…

 
Vural Özdemir, Editor in Chief, OMICS: A Journal of Integrative BiologyCredit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc via YouTube

Vural Özdemir, Editor in Chief, OMICS: A Journal of Integrative BiologyCredit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc via YouTube

 

Quite simply, a blockchain system stores and shares information - known generally for the privacy that it can bring to the table (hence why crytography naturally falls into one of its applications). Each block within the associated chain stores data independentley and avoids management by third party data handlers. This all confers to greater privacy assurances when it comes to storing patient records electronically, a growing movement in the NHS as paper-based methods become obsolete in the face of the added value convenience and value proposed by electronic storage. However, as we saw with the collaborative study between DeepMind and the Royal Free Hospital Trust - privacy is an area of concern regarding artificial intelligence and digital technologies in general. It is believed blockchain could be the unifying technology that could ensure safe and appropriate data handling. As the participants in the chain store and share data without the involvement of third parties, the decentralised element of blockchain’s data storage between participants could help to improve accessiblity from other centres to a patient’s data (making operations more efficent and faster - at convenient to the hospital centres and the patient) and also more secure. In this way, we can make healthcare more patient-centered and ensure the patient’s needs and expectations are top priority. Not only this, but improved security at these sites will confer to a greater level of trust between patients and healthcare professionals - after all, if there is a greater sense of security about the data being shared by a patient, then this can only mean more transparency in their answers which ultimately leads to a stronger doctor-patient relationship and possibly more effective treatments.

 
Summary of the operation of a blockchain system. Credit: US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health

Summary of the operation of a blockchain system. Credit: US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health

 

So block-chain could make our data in hospitals more secure and easier to be accessed by other centers (such as when a GP may refer you to a specialist service at a hospital, no more waiting for records to arrive!). It is clear that data security is not a priority within our current structures within healthcare as structures are becoming more streamlined to handle patient services on a strapped budget, areas like security can often be overlooked.coming more streamlined to handle patient services on a strapped budget, areas like security can often be overlooked. With outdated firmware being deployed nationally in centers, new technologies like these could be vital to our cyber-security regarding sensitive health records. After all, according to the US National Library of Medicine, ‘ In 2018, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) received notifications of many data breaches that resulted in the exposure of 13 million total healthcare records’ - clearly this issue cannot be overlooked anymore!

Thank you to all the aforementioned bodies and individuals, particularly Vural Özdemir, for these insightful comments and solutions presented for the future of healthcare - and how the toils and burdens of staff can be mitigated by assistive systems being put into place. My warmest ‘best of luck’ in relation to your future endeavours!

Thank you all for your time in reading, stay safe, and I hope you all stay happy and occupied in self-isolation!

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