Blockchain consists of distributed database called blocks which is used for maintaining the list of trancations. Blockchain technology supports the transactional applications. Blockchain technology has many features like transparency , trust,accountability , security and many more. In 2008 Blockchain technology was designed by Satoshi Nakamoto for exchanges of digital currency such as Bitcoin, litecoin and many more. After that blockchain technology has infiltrating in many fields like insurance, healthcare , manufacturing ,etc that means blockchain technology grow among all the important sectors of life.

Healthcare industry is one of the most important sector for every nation in the world. This sector has good impact on GDP of every nation. Also this time when coronavirus outbrake have spread all over the world this sector plays a huge rule for fighting against it. Also we release who good this sector is in our country. In the starting of this year in india we see how people lost lives due to less availability of healthcare technology. It gives us information that we have to improve our healthcare technology.

Healthcare which is one of the important application of blockchain technology but unfortunately it has vary slow adoption of blockchain technology in healthcare sector. Till now only few countries in world have adopted blockchain technology in healthcare. Blockchain technology can improve this sector vary much. It can do many things from providing correct information of patient to handling epidemics.

Research and Discuss the potential applications of Blockchain in the Health care industry

Below are the potential applications of blockchain in the health care industry:

Personal health record storage

Every personal suffering from any disease has to record many personal information like which disease you have , which medicines you have to use and many more important information. This information is vary tough to remember , also for knowing about the diseases which are spreading in world , world helth organization took lot of survey's for collecting this information. For this propose blockchain introduces electronic medical record where every patient can store its helth records. Patients can be able to gave acces to their health related information to doctors, individual or globally. By this world will know which diseases has higher rates in world and many more information , also patient will be able to save his health information easily. Also it will be easy to save information for long time which is not easy to done on papers. Some of the projects which are working on this is MedRec, GemHealth, Guardtime,etc

Drug development

In these days lot of people are making fake drugs for their profit by pushing the human like in danger , it is vary difficult to track the fake drugs. Blockchain can facilitate the new drug development by making patients information more widely accessible. Blockchain is able to store all the manufacturing information of drugs and its ingredients in it , so it will be easy to track any fake drug in the market.

Clinic trials of new drugs

If some drug making company makes a new drug , they have to done clinic trails first for seeing the efficiency of new drugs and its side effects and the nature of drug. People are selected rendomaly for clinic trails and codes are set for a particular drug but There is a chances of wrong information about any drug regarding clinic trails. By applying Blockchain technology the results will be transparent without any doubts. Blockchain technology can make clinic trails more reliable by keeping track and time stamping at every phase of clinic trails and the information is stored and shared on blockchain.

Prescription management

There are lot of development countries which are still using papers for writing and storing patients details on it. There is a huge chances of loosing this information by natural phenomenon like if rain falls on it , can be tore and there is chances of miss understanding of data by pharmacist also there may be misuse of patient information. By applying Blockchain technology it will be easy to store whole data of patient safe and without and threat of loosing it. BlockMedx is the project which is working regarding this . they are providing mobile apllications to their patients where they can store their information and manage it.

Data security

In past few years there are lot of cases of data breaching regarding healthcare records. Also we know patient data is stored on papers their is chances of missing of papers in hospital that can lead many problems to patient. By applying blockchain technology this data can be secured safely on blockchain. Their will be private keys given to every patient and only that patient will be able acces his data.

Mobile health apps and remote monitoring

In the recent covid pandemic patient other than covid-19 were not able to hospital for checking their heath issues because government only allows emergency patients in hospitals as there is no space.Also at some areas there are hospitals far which takes time to reach there. By blockchain technology patients can share their information globally and consult any doctor on blockchain at minimum cost. Also many important information can share by apps just like india launch Aarogya setu app last year which tells lot of information regarding coronavirus.

Billing management

Billing system involves finance in which people buy drugs and equipment and pay money. There is lot of inaccuracy in this sector that leads controversy. This occurs due to lack of transparency by the dealers. Blockchain technology can easily handle this issue by linking patients and bearers directly. This can reduce fraud activities. Blockchain will able to maintance billing data and provide correct data to patient as well as management.

Health insurance claims

In this world lot of people have done health insurance so that if they fall ill the insurance company will take care of his all expenses like medicine cost , doctors fees and many more. There is a chances of data correction which may loss to patient or company. Also their is chances of frauds by any of the two member's which also may loss to one among them. Blockchain technology will prevent this by storing the data safe and secure. Also the data can not be changed manipulated once fixed will reduce frauds.

Tracing medical supplies and equipments

When a drug is made from any company after that its records like expiry date, storage, consumption is vary touch to gain that is why many dellers dump the drugs for huge time and even some persons take hospital drugs and sale in public this is serious issue. Blockchain technology will provid each step information of any particular drug by applying tracking element on every drug packet which will help every company to see the drug details easily.
Sometimes hospital staff lost some medical equipments having vary high cost and they cause huge loss. By blockchain technology equipment's can be provided with tracing elements which will help to find the equipments easily.

Breakthroughs in Genomics

Genomics is process full genetic complement of an organism. For this the scientists need genetic information and they collect it by paying money. There are lot of expensive middle mens in this and earning huge money. Blockchain can eliminate this by providing online market place where scientists can buy genomic information at lesser costs also this will provide safe selling of this information.

Source

Organ transplant

Organ transplant is vary tough and complicated process. Organs deteriorate quickly after few hours. As we know after 10 hours heart can not be transplant. There are lot of people who are waiting for organ transplant but unfortunately it is tough to find the two persons with same blood ground and match their requirements within less time. Blockchain technology connects all the donators , patients and health care workers together on same platform and makes organ transplant process easy and faster. Organtree is the worlds first Decentralized organ donation data company.

Challenges and barriers to adoption

Blockchain technology provides lot of advantages in health care sector with high efficiency but still it has not adopted in many places due to following reasons:

• cost of blockchain technology is vary high.

• complexity of blockchain technology.

• patients lack of information about this new technology.

• uncertainty about this technology.

Conclusion

Blockchain technology has lot of advantages in the healthcare sector which will boost this sector with in years if adopted fully. The adoption of blockchain technology is less due to its cost and lack of awareness among people.

THANKS FOR READING