Case study: a novel system to manage e-healthcare data by using blockchain technology

Changing socio-economic factors, scientific breakthroughs in biomedical research, as well as the emergence of new materials and information technologies are profoundly transforming the healthcare sector. In the last 20 years, a large number of research and development projects and standardization activities have concerned the processing, sharing and presentation of data through reliable, scalable, and economically sustainable systems. In particular, blockchain-based technologies are playing an increasing role in collecting, handling, storing, and updating medical records securely. After the illustration of the current challenges faced by the healthcare organizations in data management, this chapter focuses on a specific use case related to the update of the Patient Summary. This health data document is of fundamental importance for a correct knowledge of the patient's clinical history. The authors developed a blockchain system to support the general practitioner in the Patient Summary update process, ensuring the integrity of the health data and validating the entire medical process through smart contract programming. The proof-of-concept simulation demonstrates the practicability of the technical approach and its ability in improving the current management of the Patient Summary update process.