Blockchain-Enabled Patient-Centric Framework for Secure Health Data Exchange

Information and communication technology (ICT) has become integral to various facets of society, including healthcare, where it supports digitization and the development of sophisticated solutions. The adoption of digital health technologies, such as electronic health records (EHRs), has accelerated with the increasing volume of patient data. However, traditional EHR systems face critical challenges, including potential data loss, concerns about the confidentiality and integrity of medical records, inefficient clinical data retrieval, and the lack of effective communication among participating hospitals.To address these limitations, blockchain technology offers a decentralized and secure approach to managing healthcare data. It ensures data integrity, enhances privacy, and facilitates seamless sharing across stakeholders. A patient-centric design for a decentralized healthcare management system has been developed using JavaScript-based smart contracts and blockchain-based EHRs. A functional prototype leveraging Hyperledger Fabric and Composer technologies demonstrates how these innovations can transform healthcare by ensuring data security, interoperability, and efficiency.