Blockchain

Apr 19

Blockchain secures health data with tamper-proof records.

Blockchain provides a distributed ledger system that enables secure, transparent, and immutable transactions of health data. In healthcare, it is used to manage patient consent, protect Electronic Medical Records, and track drug supply chains with greater accuracy. The growing adoption of blockchain is largely driven by the increasing demand for data integrity, security, and interoperability across health systems.

  
  Pros and Cons Table
  
        Pros
        Cons
      
        Prevents tampering with medical records
        Scalability remains a major challenge
      
        Enables patient-controlled data sharing
        High energy use in some implementations
      
        Facilitates secure cross-border data exchange
        Complex for non-technical stakeholders
      
        Improves transparency in supply chains
        Regulatory uncertainty in many regions
      
        Enhances interoperability without central authority
        Storing the entire chain becomes heavy and impractical over time

Blockchain stores encrypted health transactions in blocks linked chronologically and distributed across networks. Patients can grant time-limited access to their data, while providers verify records without a central intermediary. To deploy, teams must select the right blockchain model (public vs. private), address governance, ensure compliance with health regulations, and integrate with existing health IT systems.