Nowadays, more and more blockchain projects are trying to apply the potential of this technology to real life, to make it more useful than just a playground for the community of professionals. Health-related projects like run-to-earn, walk-to-earn, and sleep-to-earn are proof of that transformation. Along with the emergence of the covid pandemic, people are more concerned about personal health and want a more effective solution to the current examination process that meets the increasing demand.
How blockchain would fit in the medical field
Many experts believe that the digitization process is irreversible and naturally all social entities shall be digitally transformed into cyberspace to reduce operating costs and increase work efficiency such as schools, companies, government agencies, etc. The school model has long been applied, gradually shifting to remote learning through academic platforms provided for free on the Internet or even online universities. Therefore, it is a completely feasible scenario for the current healthcare system of the medical industry to also move along with the digitalization wave. The following shall demonstrate a few applications of that wave.
Systems of smart hospitals
An example of this application is a recently emerging project called IVIRSE, which offers a network of smart hospitals in the digital space, where most traditional healthcare activities such as medical registration, buying medicine and making an appointment with a doctor can all be done online without the presence of the patient.
The idea behind this model is to build a closed ecosystem that provides comprehensive healthcare-related utilities to users. This ecosystem also acts as an intermediary market between patients and health service providers such as hospitals, clinics, research centers, etc. From there, patients can freely choose the best medical facility for medical examination, instead of being able to choose only one like the traditional method. The reduction of operating costs and cumbersome paperwork helps service providers to focus more on improving the user experience.
In the future, this kind of smart hospital network is expected to be able to transfer data among all medical facilities around the world with the speed of processing information way faster than it is today thanks to great advances in the field of data science. Any back-and-forth between the patient and the healthcare center will be kept to a minimum in order to focus more on improving diagnostic quality and service experience.
Supply chain management
One of the problems that the health sector is facing is transparency for the origin of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, which has not yet been paid attention to and protected by the state. In developing countries like India, the problem of prescribing fake and substandard medicines is still going on and causing tens of thousands of deaths every year. The same goes for substandard medical devices, leading to errors in diagnosis or, more seriously, making surgeries unsuccessful.
However, this problem can be solved simply with blockchain technology by uploading the entire supply chain process to cyberspace, where the customer can see each stage and control the input and output of the product.
If done properly, blockchain technology can bring the following benefits to all the parties involved:
- Reputation for the manufacturer: Allowing customers to monitor activities from packaging, integration to shipping and storage will help increase the reputation of the supplier, thereby helping the brand’s name to be well-known in the market
- Increased accountability: Medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers will have to raise their working standards to ensure the best quality of their products. This helps to ensure the interests of both users and manufacturers, which are guaranteed by the state.
- Supply Chain Optimization: When all data is in one place, companies can apply AI to better predict demand and optimize supply for future improvement.
Patient-centric electronic health records
Healthcare systems in every country and region are struggling with the problem of data siloes, meaning that patients and their healthcare providers have an incomplete view of medical histories.
One potential solution to this problem is creating a blockchain-based system for medical records that can be linked to existing electronic medical record software and act as an overarching, single view of a patient’s record. It is crucial to emphasize that actual patient data does not go on the blockchain, but that each new record appended to the blockchain, whether a physician’s note, a prescription, or a lab result, is translated into a unique hash function — a small string of letters and numbers. Every hash function is unique, and can only be decoded if the person who owns the data — in this case, the patient — gives their consent.
So what benefits do we get?
- A comprehensive single source of truth in a patient’s medical records
- Empower user to control their Electronic Healthcare Records
- Impact on the healthcare market by fuelling more advanced analytics
Using IoT technology for monitoring
Along with the wave of digitization, IoT technology will also help minimize cumbersome processes and procedures in the medical industry. Sensors measuring patient health can record changes in the body in real-time and then upload the data to the cloud, where doctors can access it and provide the instant diagnosis. Moreover, in emergencies such as a stroke when being alone, with the help of an IoT device nearby such as a watch or phone, it can send a distress signal to the closest hospital to receive emergency care in a timely manner.
In addition, IoT will also help ensure the privacy of patient data to ensure that only authorized personnel can access the system. It will also have to be able to go offline when the network connection is interrupted under certain circumstances.
In short, while blockchain can enhance IoT security in healthcare, these use cases are still in the early testing phase. For digital health companies, security in devices with sensitive user data is a top priority, and the adoption of blockchain technology is only one part of a much more comprehensive security strategy.
Summary
The potential that blockchain technology brings to all aspects of human life is endless if fully and carefully exploited. If conducted properly, blockchain technology would likely open a new era for people where all life activities in society are digitally transformed and connected to each other in a vast Internet network. Pioneers like IVIRSE are gradually building the first bricks in that vast digital universe.
For more information about this project, please visit the website: https://ivirse.com
