EHR on Blockchain

Overview

To design and implement a secure, decentralized, and efficient system for managing Electronic Health Records (EHR) using blockchain technology. The system ensures secure data sharing, encryption for sensitive information, and efficient access control while providing a reliable audit trail.

System Architecture

  • Blockchain Layer:
    Hyperledger Fabric: A permissioned blockchain framework ensures scalability and privacy.
    Smart Contracts: Implemented using Solidity to handle data access requests, approvals, and modifications.
  • Storage Layer:
    IPFS: Stores large EHR files securely off-chain to optimize storage efficiency.
    Storage Layer:
  • Authentication and Authorization:
    OAuth 2.0: Provides secure access control and user authentication to ensure that only authorized entities can access or modify the data.
  • Integration Layer:
    RESTful APIs: Acts as an interface for interacting with the blockchain, smart contracts, and EHR systems.
  • CI/CD Pipeline:
    Jenkins: Automates testing, integration, and deployment of updates to smart contracts and other system components.

Technologies Stack

Impacts

  • 1. Smart Contracts:
    Purpose:
    Handle data access requests.
    Record transactions such as data creation, access, and modification.
    Define roles (e.g., patients, doctors, insurers) with specific permissions.
    Design Highlights:
    Functions to validate user access and store metadata (e.g., hash of the EHR file on IPFS).
    Event emitters to notify relevant parties of access or modification events.
  • 2. IPFS Integration:
    EHR Data Encryption: Encrypt EHR files using a symmetric encryption algorithm (e.g., AES) before uploading to IPFS.
    Hash Reference Storage: After uploading to IPFS, retrieve the file hash and store it on the blockchain using smart contracts.
  • 3. OAuth 2.0 for Authentication::
    Implement OAuth 2.0 to ensure secure authentication for users.
    Use tokens to grant access based on user roles:
    Patients: Full access to their data.
    Doctors: Conditional access based on patient consent.
    Insurers: Limited access based on smart contract rules.
  • 4. RESTful APIs:
    Purpose: Interface for interaction between front-end applications, blockchain, and IPFS.
  • 5. CI/CD Pipeline:
    Use Jenkins to automate:
    Smart contract testing (e.g., Truffle, Hardhat).
    Deployment to Hyperledger Fabric.
    Continuous integration of API updates.
    Monitoring and rollback in case of failures.

Benefits

  • Data Security:
    Ensures encryption and immutability of records.
  • Transparency:
    Provides a complete audit trail of access and modifications.
  • Scalability:
    Decentralized storage with IPFS prevents blockchain bloat.
  • Access Control:
    OAuth 2.0 and smart contracts enforce strict access permissions.

Future scope

  • AI Integration::
    Use EHR data for predictive analytics and diagnostics.
  • Interoperability:
    Enable data sharing with other healthcare systems and blockchain networks.
  • Granular Consent Management:
    Implement advanced smart contracts for dynamic consent rules.
  • Mobile Application: Develop a user-friendly mobile app for patients to manage records on the go.
  • Federated Learning: Use EHR data securely for collaborative AI training without compromising privacy.

Conclusion

By leveraging blockchain, IPFS, and OAuth 2.0, this EHR solution addresses critical challenges like data security, patient control, and scalability. The system’s decentralized architecture ensures transparency and compliance while paving the way for future innovations in healthcare data management. This blockchain-based EHR system is a step toward more secure, efficient, and patient-centric healthcare solutions.