using blockchain for medical data access

MedRec: Using Blockchain for Medical Data Access and Permission Management

BY: MAGED MOHAMED ELGAZZAR@MMELJAZZAR

LINKEDIN.COM/IN/MMJAZZAR

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Conference 2016 2nd International Conference on Open and Big Data IEEE computer society.

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Agenda Introduction Problem statement. System Implementation. Smart contracts. The relationship between provider, patient nodes.

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Introduction Bureaucratic inefficiency. Data privacy. Scattered data across various Hospitals. Weak Archiving system.

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Problem statement Fragmented data. Slow access to medical data. System interoperability. Health information blocking. Improved data quality for medical research.

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The MedRec (Medical Records ) implementation

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The MedRec implementation the MedRec based on:- Smart contracts. Hash of the record. Identity confirmation. A syncing algorithm

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Smart contracts Log patient-provider relationships. Viewing permissions. Data retrieval instructions.

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Hash of the record Guaranteeing data integrity. Add a new record associated with a particular patient.

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Identity confirmation Public key cryptography. A DNS-like implementation

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A syncing algorithm Handles data exchange “off-chain” between a patient database and a provider database.

confirm permissions via database authentication server.

provide a reference to check for any updates.

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The contract function, structures, and relationships

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MedRec smart contracts architecture Registrar Contract (RC).

Patient-Provider Relationship Contract (PRR).

Summary Contract (SC).

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The contract function Enable advanced functionality (bidding, reputation, etc.).

Contain metadata about the record ownership, permissions.

Carry out policies.

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MedRec smart contracts architecture

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Registrar Contract Maps patient ID strings to their address identity (equivalent to a public key).

Maps identity strings to an address on the blockchain.

ID can be restricted only to certified institutions.

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Patient-Provider Relationship Contract Issued between two nodes in the system.

Defines data pointers and access permissions that identify the records held by the care provider.

Each pointer consists of a query string when executed, it returns a subset of patient data.

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Patient-Provider Relationship Contract A (hash table) maps viewers’ addresses to a list of additional query strings.

It specify which data the third party viewer is allowed access.

System formulates SQL queries and uploads them to the PPR on the blockchain.

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Summary Contract Locate patient medical record history.

It holds a list of references to PatientProvider Relationship contracts (PPRs).

It populate with references to all care providers they havebeen engaged with.

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Summary Contract Persists in the distributed network.

Adding backup and restore functionality

Access to their history by downloading the latest blockchain from the network.

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The relationship between provider, patient nodes

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Node Server Node server consist of four software components: Backend Library.Ethereum Client.Database Gatekeeper.EMR Manager.

These can be executed on servers, combining to create a distributed system.

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The data transferflow between provider node and patient node.

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Backend Library Exports a function-call API.

Handles the uncertainty of when transactions.

Do the low level formatting and parsing of the Ethereum protocol.

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Ethereum Client Implements the full functionality required to join in the network.

Implement a service to locate the node’s Summary Contract (SC) to monitor real-time changes to the SC.

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Ethereum ClientI f new block is created with the newly linked PPR, the client issues a signal which results in a user notification.

The user can then acknowledge or decline her communication with the provider.

If the accepted, it automatically issues a query request to obtain the new medical data.

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Database Gatekeeper runs a server listening to query requests from clients on the network.

A request contains a query string, as well as a reference to the blockchain PPR.

Once the issuer’s signature is certified, it verify if the address issuing the request is allowed access to the query.

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EMR Manager A web-based interface that presents the users with Update notifications. Data sharing . Retrieval options.

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Patient Nodes Contain the same basic components as providers.

An implementation of these can be executed on a local PC or even a mobile phone.

storage of the patient’s medical meta data.

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Future work Mining and ether curreny.

Medical researchers and health care authorities to mine in the network.

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Conclusion Gives patients a log of their medical history, which is not only comprehensive, but also accessible and credible. Allows for specific authorizations. Different metadata fields within a single record Facilitate continued use of their existing systems. Gives several key properties of decentralization.

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