ChainHealth: Blockchain-Based IoT-Edge Model for Secure Management of Health Data

The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly expanding and seamlessly integrating into our daily lives, with an increasing number of objects connecting to the Internet. It operates as a networked architecture that enables communication between connected devices. IoT applications span various domains, including smart homes, cities, transportation, and healthcare. Among these, smart healthcare is particularly important, allowing specialists to monitor patients remotely, anytime, and anywhere. In this system, patient data is transmitted through networked systems, enabling remote health monitoring. However, significant challenges remain regarding the privacy and integrity of patient health data. This study addresses these challenges by proposing a model named ChainHealth that leverages IoT devices for data collection, edge infrastructure for processing, smart contracts on blockchain to ensure data integrity, and blockchain to store data securely. Experimental results demonstrate that ChainHealth significantly outperforms traditional models in terms of data transmission efficiency, scalability, and overall system performance. The model enhances throughput, reduces latency even as the number of users increases, and strengthens data encryption and transmission processes. Additionally, the smart contract mechanism is evaluated and shown to be reliable for managing data integrity. As a result, the proposed model ensures secure data transfer across the network and secure critical health information. By maintaining data integrity, confidentiality, and security, ChainHealth improves both the quality and reliability of healthcare services compared to traditional approaches.