Healthcare 5.0: A secure and distributed network for system informatics in medical surgery

Chenggang Wu; Yuk Ming Tang; Wei Ting Kuo; Ho Tung Yip; Ka Yin Chau

doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2024.105415

Healthcare 5.0: A secure and distributed network for system informatics in medical surgery

Int J Med Inform. 2024 Jun:186:105415. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2024.105415. Epub 2024 Mar 20.

Authors

Chenggang Wu¹, Yuk Ming Tang², Wei Ting Kuo³, Ho Tung Yip⁴, Ka Yin Chau⁵

Affiliations

¹ Zhuhai City Polytechnic College of Marxism, Guangdong Province, China.
² Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong; Faculty of Business, City University of Macau, Macau. Electronic address: yukming.tang@polyu.edu.hk.
³ Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
⁴ The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
⁵ Faculty of Business, City University of Macau, Macau.

PMID: 38520907
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2024.105415

Abstract

Introduction: Health records serve not only as a database of a patient's health history and treatment process but also as a crucial tool for doctors to diagnose and treat patients. However, the storage and sharing of these records are sensitive issues as they involve maintaining patient privacy and ensuring data transparency, security, and interoperability between different parties. Challenges to achieving these goals in the current surgical process can impact the allocation of medical resources and surgical outcomes.

Methods: This article proposes a healthcare 5.0 framework for medical surgery that deploys a secure and distributed network using Blockchain to demonstrate transactions between different parties in the orthopedic surgery process. The proposed network uses the Hyperledger Composer platform for deployment, and a patient-doctor-supplier orthopedic surgery network is designed and implemented to enable the safe sharing of medical records.

Results: A benchmarking tool was implemented for analyzing different scenarios of applying blockchain technology to orthopedic surgery. The application of blockchain technology to orthopedic surgery presents a promising solution for data sharing and supply chain management in the field. The integration of blockchain with cloud storage and hybrid encryption ensures secure and efficient storage of Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Personal Health Record (PHR) data. By leveraging the tamper-proof nature of blockchain and addressing concerns regarding centralized data storage, this scenario demonstrates enhanced security, improved access efficiency, and privacy protection in medical data sharing.

Conclusions: The article demonstrates the feasibility of using an IoT-based blockchain network in orthopedic surgery, which can reduce medical errors and improve data interoperability among different parties. This unique application of blockchain enables secure sharing of medical records, ensuring transparency, security, and interoperability. The network design may also be applicable to other surgeries and medical applications in the future.

Keywords: Blockchain; Electronic Health Records; Healthcare 5.0; Hyperledger; Orthopedic Surgery.

MeSH terms

Blockchain*
Computer Security
Confidentiality
Delivery of Health Care
Electronic Health Records
Humans
Information Storage and Retrieval