Blockchain-Enabled EMR Protection: A Smart Contract and IPFS-Based Architecture

The exponential growth in digital healthcare infrastructure has resulted in an overwhelming increase in sensitive medical data generation. However, traditional centralized Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems continue to face critical security and privacy challenges. These include single points of failure, limited interoperability, data tampering, and unauthorized access. This paper introduces a robust and scalable blockchain-based framework for secure EMR management. Leveraging Ethereum blockchain, IPFS decentralized storage, and smart contracts, the framework ensures tamper-proof data logging and fine-grained access control. The system stores encrypted patient health records on IPFS and logs the corresponding content identifier (CID) on the Ethereum blockchain, eliminating the risk of data exposure. The architecture is designed for future compatibility with Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), allowing for faster data processing closer to the point of care. By offering immutable audit trails, decentralized access governance, and high availability, the proposed framework ensures transparency, security, and data ownership for all healthcare stakeholders.