Integration of Blockchain Into Medical Data Security: Key Features, Use Cases, Technical Challenges, and Future Directions

Introduction

In this chapter, the role of blockchain in the security of medical data is discussed. Blockchain provides a new technological way to secure medical data in a decentralized and distributed fashion. Information stored in the blockchain cannot be easily tempered or modified without the consensus of the majority of nodes in the blockchain network. Besides, medical data contains sensitive information; hence, there is a need for providing security and privacy preservation of the data. Without securing and preserving medical data, data sharing becomes problematic. Moreover, providing traditional methods such as encryption, aggregation, suppression, and differential privacy alone does not prevent a single point of failure or attack since the methods are centralized; Therefore, the need for decentralization becomes paramount. The specific objectives of this chapter are as follows.

• 1.

  To provide the key features of blockchain that make it suitable for medical data security

• 2.

  To analyze the current challenges in securing medical data.

• 3.

  To provide features of blockchain that make it suitable for medical data security.

• 4.

  To integrate blockchain technology into healthcare data security standards.

• 5.

  To provide real-world examples of blockchain-based systems currently being used or proposed for medical data security.

• 6.

  To examine legal and regulatory issues related to the use of blockchain for medical data security.

• 7.

  To analyze the security benefits offered by blockchain technology in the context of medical data.

• 8.

  To provide the role of encryption and smart contracts in securing medical data on the blockchain.

Background

The security and integrity of medical data have become major concerns for healthcare service applications as a result of the Internet of Things (IoT) considerable growth in the healthcare industry (Ratta et al., 2021). Medical data security is of paramount importance for ensuring patient data safety and privacy. Medical records contain highly sensitive information about a patient's health status, medical history, and personal details, such as their name, address, and social security number. This information is valuable to various stakeholders, such as healthcare providers, insurance companies, and even cybercriminals, who can use it for financial gain or other nefarious purposes. The exposure or unauthorized disclosure of medical data can result in harm to patients, including financial loss, discrimination, and social stigma (Park et al., 2017; Appari and Johnson, 2010). Furthermore, it can undermine trust in the healthcare system and have negative consequences for public health. Therefore, ensuring medical data's confidentiality, integrity, and availability is critical for maintaining patient safety, privacy, and trust in the healthcare system.