Revolutionizing Medical Sector: Innovative Blockchain System for Device Monitoring Developed by US and Indian Scientists
Summary:
Scientists from Emporia State University in the U.S. and University of Allahabad in India have developed HNMBlock, a blockchain system for monitoring medical devices. This innovation could transform the medical sector by responding quickly to disease outbreaks, incentivizing patient participation and enabling data-led decisions. The model could also potentially enhance security measures in the healthcare field by preventing cyber-attacks and protecting patient data—issues that have become increasingly important since the 2017 "WannaCry" attacks.
Scientists hailing from Emporia State University, located in the U.S., and University of Allahabad, based in India, have collaboratively created an innovative blockchain system to supervise medical instruments. The team believes that HNMBlock, their novel system, holds great potential to bring about radical transformation in the medical sector, boasting benefits which vary from fast-tracking reactions towards disease epidemics to promoting patient participation and choices backed by data. In essence, HNMBlock is a blockchain network centred around a server, engineered to perfectly sync the internet-of-things (IoT) devices employed by the medical sector, such as devices monitoring air quality, with impregnable data storage and retrieval mechanism.
According to an image sourced from Kshetri and team, 2024, "The synergy of blockchain technology (HNMBlock model) with medical devices for medical systems safety forms a potent paradigm as it effectively unites strategic usage. This model operates as a tool for medical associates, providing blockchain nodes as fundamental architectures to steer healthcare cybersecurity."
As highlighted in their paper, the model harbours the potential to widen its horizons to encapsulate incentives for patient participation based on tokens, a decentralized system for file security coupled with encryption, and monitoring devices in real-time. In light of the "WannaCry" attacks of 2017, which left a disastrous effect on tens of thousands of patients' records and huge quantities of files across the National Health Services in the U.K., raised the necessity to strengthen security in the field of medicine. Despite the measures taken, the scientists were able to identify countless remaining loopholes. Drawing attention to the current scenario, they stated, "Presently, advanced healthcare systems depend on interconnected devices, electronic health records (EHRs), and solutions for telemedicine. Such systems are extremely vulnerable to cyber-attacks that pose a risk to patient information, hinder crucial healthcare services, and even tamper with medical records."
Their study advocates for the idea of blockchain being a transformative tool to enhance security and protect patient privacy, and further incorporate the power of smart contracts. This advantage, particularly for U.S. patients, could assist healthcare providers to handle patient information while adhering to the norms set by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. The researchers stated that, "Common cybersecurity threats that healthcare systems encounter include replay attacks, crypto-malware, ransomware, other types of malware, denial-of-service (DoS), data breaches, and phishing."
In recent times, using blockchain technology to safeguard data and facilitate smart contracts in the medical sector has gained momentum. This is evident through initiatives such as Akiri and BurstIQ, which have adopted blockchain technology for the purpose of managing medical data.
Published At
2/14/2024 10:18:34 PM
Disclaimer: Algoine does not endorse any content or product on this page. Readers should conduct their own research before taking any actions related to the asset, company, or any information in this article and assume full responsibility for their decisions. This article should not be considered as investment advice. Our news is prepared with AI support.
Do you suspect this content may be misleading, incomplete, or inappropriate in any way, requiring modification or removal?
We appreciate your report.