Most probably, as it offers the potential to increase the security, privacy, and interoperability of health data and place the patient at the centre of the healthcare ecosystem.
What is blockchain? Originally developed to allow the transfer of bitcoin between parties without the need for intermediaries, the information exchanged gets locked into a block which cannot be altered, offering the security and validation needed for money transfer without banks charging commission. The parties don't have to connect directly to share information. This technology is not limited to money transfers; it can also allow the storage and sharing of medical information. If we use this technology in health, consultations with clinicians become links in the ongoing chain of a patient's health record. External agencies could extract individual blocks of data to optimise their delivery of healthcare. It is more secure than the current storage of health information and is independent of any software system. Blockchain could prevent the inefficient information silo build-up we have in existing storage methods.
Currently, to allow the sharing of medical information across different software platforms, we use the standard HL7 messages. These data packets are built on an inter-national language of syntax and semantics which operates well to share messages, but does little to extract valuable information from messages. It just simply sends messages.
There are also increasing challenges in protecting health data. This information is becoming a focus for criminal activity and identity theft. One of the additional benefits of blockchain data is that it is virtually unhackable. Although blockchain has enormous potential to improve healthcare by optimising the exchange of health data, it is still in its infancy and needs further exploration from both a political and behavioural viewpoint. Definitely one to watch for the future!
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