Blockchain for Patient Safety: Use Cases, Opportunities and Open Challenges

Abstract

Medical errors are recognized as major threats to patient safety worldwide. Lack of streamlined communication and an inability to share and exchange data are among the contributory factors affecting patient safety. To address these challenges, blockchain can be utilized to ensure a secure, transparent and decentralized data exchange among stakeholders. In this study, we discuss six use cases that can benefit from blockchain to gain operational effectiveness and efficiency in the patient safety context. The role of stakeholders, system requirements, opportunities and challenges are discussed in each use case in detail. Connecting stakeholders and data in complex healthcare systems, blockchain has the potential to provide an accountable and collaborative milieu for the delivery of safe care. By reviewing the potential of blockchain in six use cases, we suggest that blockchain provides several benefits, such as an immutable and transparent structure and decentralized architecture, which may help transform health care and enhance patient safety. While blockchain offers remarkable opportunities, it also presents open challenges in the form of trust, privacy, scalability and governance. Future research may benefit from including additional use cases and developing smart contracts to present a more comprehensive view on potential contributions and challenges to explore the feasibility of blockchain-based solutions in the patient safety context.