Implementing blockchain in Healthcare Management Systems United Kingdom to improve patient data security and operational efficiency Assignment Sample

Literature Review

Introduction : Implementing blockchain in Healthcare Management Systems in the United Kingdom to improve patient data security and operational efficiency

Specifically, the utilisation of the blockchain solution has emerged as a potential remedy for multiple challenges within the healthcare industry, especially connected with data management, security, and integration. Some of the possible applications of the blockchain technology in healthcare systems are looked at in this literature review, especially in light of the NHS, United Kingdom. The first part of the assessment looks at how block chain technology is currently applicable to the health sector; especially in the care of records so they can be shared securely across the networks of care givers. After outlining the potential for innovation in the NHS, the paper examines the existing gaps in the NHS digital environment, including outdated IT, security issues, and interface issues. The strengths and limitations of using blockchain in healthcare are discussed where data protection, integrated care, and more transparency are highlighted. Besides, the review also discusses general use cases of blockchain in the NHS, which includes clinical trials, shipping, and patient record. It does, however, also understand that there are challenges to integration of the cloud such as governance, scalability and compliance to data protection laws among others. Lastly, the analysis points to the areas of further research, especially where large-scale CB analyses specific to the NHS context, and long-term, large-scale research on the effectiveness of blockchain in public healthcare.

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Overview of Blockchain Technology in Healthcare

According to the author Haleem et al. 2021, blockchain has recently proven to be a potential solution to many challenges in the healthcare industry as well as with regard to data sharing, protection, and integration. Blockchain appears to be particularly useful for storage and sharing of patients’ records between and among healthcare providers including hospitals, laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, and individual physicians as it is an immutably distributed ledger (Haleem et al. 2021). This ability of the technology to accurately identify and prevent mistakes in medical procedures including those that can be fatal, has attracted attention from scholars and health professionals. Of the features inherent in the application of blockchain, the use of this technology is justified in increasing the exchange and analysis of medical records most of all.

Figure 1: Blockchain to secure internet

(Source: https://media.springernature.com)

Blockchain technology has been proved, for evident reasons, to assist the enhancement of the performance of healthcare organizations by creating a central platform for storage of data. It can be applied in so many fields in health care which include the clinical trials ; the technology is very useful here as it eliminates fraud and provides validation of the data fully. Specifically, several of the enablers and procedures that the researchers identified enhance blockchain’s implementation in global health care systems (Neelima et al. 2024). These findings are time and again illustrated using pictorial illustrations of integrated processes of work flow. Consequently, at least fourteen studies of other significant applications of blockchain in the health sector have been described in the literature; these include streamlined insurance claim management, secure storage of patients’ data. Indeed, the capacity of the blockchain technology regarding the various issues of data manipulation is one of the most effective opportunities for its usage in the healthcare field: being different from any other pattern of storage, it provides an enhanced level of data secureness (Kraus et al. 2021). This system makes data availability more flexible since clients can retrieve data on their own while the system ensures high levels of accountability and authentication processes. Being a decentralized system, blockchain has fair resistance to explicit threats meaning that data within a blockchain cannot be compromised, and can only be accessed by entities who have the right permission to do so.

Current Limitations in the UK's Healthcare System

According to the author Farouk et al. 2020, The main health care provider in the United Kingdom is the National Health Service that is struggling with profound digital problems that hinder its primary aims of providing efficient patient care and services. There is an interoperability problem where the many IT systems used by different NHS institutions do not interconnect properly, leading to the existence of disparate patient information. This leads to time delay in compiling basic patient details—an important aspect that may compromise timeliness as well as quality of output in health care provision (Farouk et al. 2020). These problems are only enhanced by the fact that many of the organisations which comprise the NHS currently employs antiquated IT systems making the staff struggle with slow and often largely ineffective IT solutions which directly prevents the delivery of adequate care. Another emerging problem is data security because the NHS deals with staggering amounts of patients’ personal data.

Figure 2: 

(Source: https://ars.els-cdn.com)

They have concerns over patient privacy and the sincerity of the healthcare system because the current systems proved that they can be hacked, and patients’ data can be stolen. There is also another challenge that emerges; large scale digital transformation projects are another problem that the NHS face, most of which are associated with budget issues and other delays in implementation. As a result, the quality of care and the offers of digital health services differ from region to region across the United Kingdom because of the different digital readiness levels of each of the NHS trusts and areas. Another challenge happens to be the absence of adequate workforce digital competence because many of the medical employees remain not well prepared to reap the benefits of digital health solutions. Finally, the NHS also face difficulties in terms of data consistency, which creates a fundamental issue of getting health data for research and health promotion purposes (Suryadevara, 2021). Combined, these restrictions result in operational costs, higher costs in providing healthcare and threats such as threat to patient safety which reaffirms the need to carry out a complete digital transformation of the NHS services.

Benefits and Challenges of Implementing Blockchain

According to the author Keshta & Odeh, 2021, However, one can found out that there a lot of risks and issues that can be encountered whenever implementing blockchain technology in the healthcare industry. Another major advantage of the move is how data is able to be kept safe. According to this concept, the use of the technology under description is decentralized, does not allow any change to be made to the platform, highly secure against intrusion and alteration of data and as such, the patient data ought to be secured using this technology. Also, the new technology augments care coordination to allow safe and seamless movement of health records between clients and the health providers and facilities. It argued that the ability of systems to interoperate can enhance patient care, reduce medical errors,and enhance flow of patient care. Thus, thanks to the implemented approach that implies decentralization in all spheres, including clinical trials and pharmaceuticals, the to increase transparency, the level of fraud and mistrust in the healthcare system will decrease.

Figure 3: 

(Source: https://www.researchgate.net)

Leveraging the technology’s capability in terms of smart contracts can surely reduce cost and improve efficiency by automating business processes such as insurance claims and billing. Yet, there are a number of challenges that must be addressed to for blockchain solution to be implemented in the healthcare industry. The requirement for the initial significant capital investment in the training of staff and in resources is perhaps the most well-known drawback, which may present still a significant challenge to many healthcare organizations, especially those in public health systems such as in NHS (Lee & Yoon, 2021). ). Scalability is another factor because existing blockchain systems might not be effective for handling large data throughput that may be characteristic of healthcare facilities. There are still privacy issues at play here, or maybe there are still privacy issues that people would need to be more sensitive to given blockchain records and its compliance with GDPR rules. Another area of contentious between proponents and critics of the technology is the input power that the technology consumes; an aspect that has concerns over the sustainability of the technology. Incompatibility is tested particularly when integrating with existing healthcare IT systems where technical challenges surface when integrating calling for strategic planning and possibly redesigns of entire systems. They also pointed out the need to standardize the utilization of blockchain technology in the healthcare sector with a view of ascertaining compatibility between different applications of the emerging technology (Jamil et al. 2020). ). The lack of clear regulatory standards with regards to blockchain solutions in the health sector results in misunderstanding and thus potential legal complications. However, this change will require overcoming steep cultural transformation in healthcare companies because workers who are used to the current systems may resist this new technology. Yet another challenge that builders shall encounter while implementing blockchain technology in the healthcare setting is agreement among different participants (Seh et al. 2020). Nevertheless, several scholars believe that benefits of blockchain for the healthcare domain overshadow the challenges; if so, improved, secure, and patient-oriented healthcare could be achieved if the problems are solved.

Integration of Blockchain in the NHS

According to the author Tanwar, Parekh & Evans, 2020, generally, speaking, there are many prospects and challenges connected with the application of blockchain in the NHS. There have been numerous studies relating to what blockchain could be employed for inside the N3HS environment, the main areas of focus being clinical trials, logistics, and patient record storage. The emergence of a unified integrated electronic medical record is one of the main concerns since such a system may be able to address the interoperability issues now faced by the NHS (Tanwar, Parekh & Evans, 2020). Blockchain makes it possible to share the patients’ data instantly among the different NHS trusts and healthcare companies and simultaneously meet the rigorous data security and access protocols. Research has shown that blockchain technology could assist in enhancing the supply chain of the National Health Service (NHS) and reducing the risks of fake medicine through increasing traceability. Blockchain technology can enable a clear and secure way to use and exchange research data in the field of clinical trials. The integration process, nevertheless, experiences a number of challenges. Due to the contrast of the nature of the NHS and the blockchain principle, potential governance options should be reflected deeply. Another concern for the empathized systems is the ability of blockchain systems to handle the massive amount of data generated within the NHS.

Figure 4: NHS big data intelligence

(Source: https://media.springernature.com)

An additional degree of complication arises where there’s an issue of data protection and GDPR compliance. Going through the body of literature, this researcher is able to identify that there is sufficient evidence that the implementation of blockchain technology should be systemic and slow; starting with prototypes in specific industries before thinking about mass adoption (Haleem et al. 2021). Academic authors highlight the importance of collaboration between technologists, clinicians, and policymakers for designing blockchain technologies for the unique needs and constraints of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). Research analyzing the potential long-term macroeconomic impacts of blockchain integration for the NHS, a resource-scarce setting, also points at cost as another factor. However, some crucial issues of the lack of digital infrastructure in the NHS, the possibilities and effectiveness of blockchain applications are researched and piloted in order to solve them.

Gaps in the Literature

Although there is a trend towards an increase in research on the application of blockchain in healthcare, there are still several significant shortcomings in the field, particularly concerning the future of the NHS. Due to its relatively youthful age, it is challenging to predetermine the efficiency and future impacts of the blockchain technology since there are few extensive, long-term investigations of blockchain application to the sphere of public healthcare, including the NHS. Specifically, there is a lack of an extensive cost-benefit analysis that would be relevant for the analyzed environment, namely the NHS, as it is a system with a rather different funding model and functional management. What could create some sort of potential problem is the ability or inability to adopt blockchain technology into what is already a complex IT system in the NHS (Suryadevara & Yanamala, 2020). There is little research that examines the implications of blockchain implementation and use in the context of the NHS as an organization and its workforce and the skills imperative as well as the issue of resistance to implementing change. Moreover, few empirical studies exist on the ethical issues that arise from applying the infrastructure of blockchain in the healthcare field, especially regarding patients’ data sovereignty and administration. Moreover, there is a lack of theoretical studies on potential modifications in the regulatory sphere in the literature that could facilitate the integration of blockchain into the NHS environment. For that reason, more research on the environmental impact of blockchain technology is also needed given the existing sustainability goals of the NHS.

Conclusion

The literature review found that, while blockchain shows significant promise in mitigating many of the current inadequacies in the digital landscape of the NHS, its implementation is challenging. The technology holds interesting solutions to raise the matter of cross-organization communications, enhance data protection, as well as make a range of healthcare processes more effective. However, at the same time it have to be very attentive to matters such as legal issues, expansiveness of the system and compatibility with existing systems. These gaps imply that there is a need for more comprehensive and direct research about the NHS in order to fully appreciate the effects of the application of blockchain. Blockchain remains as another interesting but complex solution which requires time, effort and more study to be applied more across the NHS, as the healthcare sector evolves.

Reference List

Journals

• Haleem, A., Javaid, M., Singh, R. P., Suman, R., & Rab, S. (2021). Blockchain technology applications in healthcare: An overview.em>International Journal of Intelligent Networks,em>2, 130-139. [Retrieve From: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266660302100021X ][Retrieve On: 14.09.24]
• Farouk, A., Alahmadi, A., Ghose, S., & Mashatan, A. (2020). Blockchain platform for industrial healthcare: Vision and future opportunities.em>Computer Communications,em>154, 223-235. [Retrieve From: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014036641931953X ][Retrieve On: 14.09.24]
• Keshta, I., & Odeh, A. (2021). Security and privacy of electronic health records: Concerns and challenges.em>Egyptian Informatics Journal,em>22(2), 177-183. [Retrieve From: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110866520301365 ][Retrieve On: 14.09.24]
• Tanwar, S., Parekh, K., & Evans, R. (2020). Blockchain-based electronic healthcare record system for healthcare 4.0 applications.em>Journal of Information Security and Applications,em>50, 102407. [Retrieve From: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214212619306155 ][Retrieve On: 14.09.24]
• Neelima, S., Govindaraj, M., Subramani, D. K., ALkhayyat, A., & Mohan, D. C. (2024). Factors Influencing Data Utilization and Performance of Health Management Information Systems: A Case Study.em>Indian Journal of Information Sources and Services,em>14(2), 146-152. [Retrieve From: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Chippy-Mohan/publication/382344570_Factors_Influencing_Data_Utilization_and_Performance_of_Health_Management_Information_Systems_A_Case_Study/links/6699ba3602e9686cd10db177/Factors-Influencing-Data-Utilization-and-Performance-of-Health-Management-Information-Systems-A-Case-Study.pdf ][Retrieve On: 14.09.24]
• Kraus, S., Schiavone, F., Pluzhnikova, A., & Invernizzi, A. C. (2021). Digital transformation in healthcare: Analyzing the current state-of-research.em>Journal of Business Research,em>123, 557-567. [Retrieve From: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296320306913 ][Retrieve On: 14.09.24]
• Suryadevara, S. (2021). Energy-Proportional Computing: Innovations in Data Center Efficiency and Performance Optimization.em>International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technologies and Innovations,em>1(2), 44-64. [Retrieve From: https://ijaeti.com/index.php/Journal/article/download/399/410 ][Retrieve On: 14.09.24]
• Lee, D., & Yoon, S. N. (2021). Application of artificial intelligence-based technologies in the healthcare industry: Opportunities and challenges.em>International journal of environmental research and public health,em>18(1), 271. [Retrieve From: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/1/271 ][Retrieve On: 14.09.24]
• Jamil, F., Ahmad, S., Iqbal, N., & Kim, D. H. (2020). Towards a remote monitoring of patient vital signs based on IoT-based blockchain integrity management platforms in smart hospitals.em>Sensors,em>20(8), 2195. [Retrieve From: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/20/8/2195 ][Retrieve On: 14.09.24]
• Seh, A. H., Zarour, M., Alenezi, M., Sarkar, A. K., Agrawal, A., Kumar, R., & Ahmad Khan, R. (2020, May). Healthcare data breaches: insights and implications. Inem>Healthcare (Vol. 8, No. 2, p. 133). MDPI. [Retrieve From: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/8/2/133 ][Retrieve On: 14.09.24]
• Haleem, A., Javaid, M., Singh, R. P., Suman, R., & Rab, S. (2021). Blockchain technology applications in healthcare: An overview.em>International Journal of Intelligent Networks,em>2, 130-139. [Retrieve From: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266660302100021X ][Retrieve On: 14.09.24]
• Suryadevara, S., & Yanamala, A. K. Y. (2020). Patient apprehensions about the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare.em>International Journal of Machine Learning Research in Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence,em>11(1), 30-48. [Retrieve From: http://ijmlrcai.com/index.php/Journal/article/download/30/28 ][Retrieve On: 14.09.24]

Author Bio

Jordan Clarke   7 Years | Masters

I am Jordon and I am a resident of London. I have completed my master's from Imperial College. I have gold medals in bachelor's as well as master's. I have been a certified academic writer for 7 years or more. My passion is to help students write flawless assignments. I have also been a professor at two or three renowned universities in London, so I am very well aware of what the guidelines demand.