Blockchain-Enabled Electronic Health Record System with Privacy-Preserving Data Sharing and Cloud Integration

Abstract

Health care data management comes with numerous barriers as a result of the use of different systems of record keeping, which are not compatible and increase the risks for data protection and privacy. Medical records are frequently distributed throughout various clinics and hospitals, and due to this it is hard to share information when patients are being treated. Centralized record systems bring unauthorized access to records and the problems related to the safety of data. In order to enhance the level of confidence of people and improve the level of transparency of health care data, advanced people choose decentralized technologies and uses cryptography for these purposes. Blockchain technology offers an unchangeable and decentralized ledger that guarantees safe monitoring of all information despite the presence of any centralized body. Coupled with sophisticated encryption methods, it provides the ability to limit access to private health information. In order to provide secure and respect privacy regarding medical data sharing, an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system powered by blockchain technologies is proposed. Patient record metadata is recorded on-chain while health data itself is stored on encrypted off-chain storage. In the realm of access management, smart contracts facilitate patients in designating by whom their records can be accessed and modified. The privacy of information is further strengthened by advanced cryptographic techniques like attribute-based encryption and zero-knowledge proofs. The system provides seamless interoperability among hospitals, laboratories, and telemedicine systems while ensuring high levels of security. The results of performance evaluation demonstrate that this method facilitates reliable transaction processing while providing better security, transparency and control than traditional centralized EHR systems.