Decentralized Patient-Centric Report and Medical Image Management System Based on Blockchain Technology and the Inter-Planetary File System

Syed Agha Hassnain Mohsan, Abdul Razzaq, Shahbaz Ahmed Khan Ghayyur, Hend Khalid Alkahtani (), Nouf Al-Kahtani and Samih M. Mostafa
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Syed Agha Hassnain Mohsan: Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zheda Road 1, Zhoushan 316021, China
Abdul Razzaq: Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zheda Road 1, Zhoushan 316021, China
Shahbaz Ahmed Khan Ghayyur: Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, International Islamic University, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Hend Khalid Alkahtani: Department of Information Systems, College of Computer and Information Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
Nouf Al-Kahtani: Department of Health Information Management and Technology, College of Public Health, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
Samih M. Mostafa: Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Computers and Information, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 22, 1-18

Abstract: Several academicians have been actively contributing to establishing a practical solution to storing and distributing medical images and test reports in the research domain of health care in recent years. Current procedures mainly rely on cloud-assisted centralized data centers, which raise maintenance expenditure, necessitate a large amount of storage space, and raise privacy concerns when exchanging data across a network. As a result, it is critically essential to provide a framework that allows for the efficient exchange and storage of large amounts of medical data in a secure setting. In this research, we describe a unique proof-of-concept architecture for a distributed patient-centric test report and image management (PCRIM) system that aims to facilitate patient privacy and control without the need for a centralized infrastructure. We used an Ethereum blockchain and a distributed file system technology called the Inter-Planetary File System in this system (IPFS). Then, to secure a distributed and trustworthy access control policy, we designed an Ethereum smart contract termed the patient-centric access control protocol. The IPFS allows for the decentralized storage of medical metadata, such as images, with worldwide accessibility. We demonstrate how the PCRIM system design enables hospitals, patients, and image requestors to obtain patient-centric data in a distributed and secure manner. Finally, we tested the proposed framework in the Windows environment by deploying a smart contract prototype on an Ethereum TESTNET blockchain. The findings of the study indicate that the proposed strategy is both efficient and practicable.

Keywords: digital health; blockchain; smart contract; Ethereum; distributed storage; IPFS; medical images sharing; health system (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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