Development of an Internet-of-Healthcare System Using Blockchain

Abstract

The Internet-of-Healthcare Systems is a highly distributed special emulation of the Internet of Things technology. Patient medical data sourced from the participating hospitals are integrated with a decentralized storage system using blockchain technology to provide the highest level of storage and access security possible, overcoming the security and data administration problems that may occur at the local hospital level where the patient data is stored within the hospital’s central server, especially if that data is subjected to external threats. The Internet-of-Healthcare Systems, currently implemented in over 350 hospitals, utilises software agents, accessed using the Message Queueing Telemetry Transport protocol, which efficiently handles potentially thousands of participating local systems without loss of network timeliness. Also, the system works with the wide variety of health information systems used in the participating hospitals. This makes the system a worthwhile candidate for a nationwide integrated health records system, and is an exemplar for many different types of secure networks that could be generically called an Internet of Special Things; a network of software agents programmed for a special purpose. Mobile device apps enable secure direct access to patient data in a central blockchain with download capability to a mobile device, under strict and fully managed access control using Amazon Web Services, with permissions controlled by the Key Management System. Feedback from participating medical staff indicates a high level of satisfaction with all aspects of the system: ease of use, ease of installation, maintenance and update, and, importantly, the security of the system.

Keywords

• Blockchain data storage
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• electronic health care system (eHCS)
• Internet of Health Care System (IoHCS)