The potential of blockchain in healthcare
Using blockchain technology in healthcare could bring some improvements. These are mainly in the areas of transparency, security and connectivity. According to a study by the auditing and consulting company Deloitte, health records are currently not yet connected and are managed separately due to a lack of a common technological architecture and non-compliance with standards. This problem could be solved by the blockchain. “It enables seamless connectivity, backed by smart contracts and consistent authorization for retrieval of electronic patient records,” writes Deloitte. This would strengthen the data integrity and the digital identity of patients. In addition, an improvement in innovative patient care is possible. “In order to shape the future, one must think about analyzing the entire ecosystem and thus establishing a set of rules to coordinate early blockchain adopters and to support a consortium for piloting,” explains Deloitte further. Such thinking has apparently already taken place in politics. In 2019, the Federal Ministry of Health organized an ideas competition that presented the first concrete applications of blockchain in the German healthcare system.
Ideas competition shows first application examples
As part of the so-called “Future Workshop”, eager pioneers were given the opportunity to present their blockchain innovations for the German healthcare system. From a total of 140 submitted proposals, 20 made it to the final.
Third place went to Prof. Volker Nürnberg and Stephanie Widmaier. They dealt with the sick leave at the doctor’s office. Issuing a disability certificate is an everyday job in a doctor’s office, but it is still a cumbersome and paper-based process. Blockchain technology could help here with a digital sick note. “This is securely encrypted and transmitted to the patient, employer and health insurance company,” says the website of the Federal Ministry of Health. A forgery is practically impossible. Users can view and manage the information on the certificates via an app.
Andreas Schütz and Tobias Fertig took second place with their idea for digitalization of patient consents. These sometimes have to be given during operations, educational talks, participation in studies or organ donations. “Patients should be able to make arrangements for each individual case as to what happens to their data – both genetic and other personal data,” writes the Federal Ministry of Health. This is where the blockchain comes into play. Thanks to them, the data remained protected despite the supposed transparency and patients could decide individually on how to use it.
The winners of the ideas competition were Irina Hardt and Dr. Christian Sigler. They tackled the problem of narcotics abuse with their project. Narcotics prescriptions are vulnerable to tampering, abuse and theft. This could be prevented by shifting the recipes to the blockchain. Hardt and Sigler propose that future prescriptions (“eBtM”) be managed digitally in a private blockchain by medical practices, pharmacies and regulatory authorities. In this way, eBtM increases the safety of narcotics in Germany and reduces the administrative burden.
Blockchain could make healthcare safer and more transparent
As the specific applications of the future workshop show, blockchain technology has the potential to make healthcare more secure, more transparent and more efficient. In addition to these ideas, however, a number of further improvements are conceivable. According to BTC-Echo, the blockchain could also be used to track production and supply chains. In this way, drugs would not be lost from sight, which could also affect their quality. For example, if the cold chain of a corona vaccine were to be interrupted, it could simply be sorted out. The blockchain also offers the advantage of making the process more transparent and safer from manipulation when it comes to waiting lists for organ donations.
The possibilities for using blockchain technology in healthcare are therefore diverse. The future will show how well the associated opportunities will ultimately be used in Germany.
Nicolas Flohr / Editor finanzen.net
Image sources: mangpor2004 / Shutterstock.com