BlockHealthCare: A Blockchain and Internet of Things-Based System for Healthcare Data Management

Abstract

The majority of patient medical data processing methods in our healthcare facilities today are highly centralized; patients must visit the hospital for diagnosis and consultation. This has reduced access to quality healthcare for patients and loss of patients' medical information since the centralized system has a single point of failure. This paper describes BlockHeathCare, a blockchain and Internet of Things-based System for real-time Healthcare data capture and management. The data collected with the aid of sensors is transmitted to the blockchain through API commands, secured, and stored. Blockchain is adopted due to its immutability, appendability, decentralization, anonymity, and privacy. The proposed system uses Ethereum, which was simulated using Ganache. Also, Truffle Suite was used for testing and deployment of the smart contract. The Client application was developed using the React framework, and the server backend was implemented using Node.js, the simulation of IoT using JavaScript to generate random values for heart rate. The system was evaluated based on its functionality and performance analysis, including gas usage per block and response time for getting, sending heart rate, and confirmation of transactions. The results showed that the proposed system performed satisfactorily, as data security and remote monitoring of patient health vital signs were achieved, and a low response time was recorded. The system's decentralized architecture, utilization of smart contracts, and user-centric dashboards provide a secure and efficient framework for healthcare data management.