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Healthcare Blockchain System Using Smart Contracts for Secure Automated Remote Patient Monitoring

  • Mobile & Wireless Health
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Abstract

As Internet of Things (IoT) devices and other remote patient monitoring systems increase in popularity, security concerns about the transfer and logging of data transactions arise. In order to handle the protected health information (PHI) generated by these devices, we propose utilizing blockchain-based smart contracts to facilitate secure analysis and management of medical sensors. Using a private blockchain based on the Ethereum protocol, we created a system where the sensors communicate with a smart device that calls smart contracts and writes records of all events on the blockchain. This smart contract system would support real-time patient monitoring and medical interventions by sending notifications to patients and medical professionals, while also maintaining a secure record of who has initiated these activities. This would resolve many security vulnerabilities associated with remote patient monitoring and automate the delivery of notifications to all involved parties in a HIPAA compliant manner.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fordham Center for Cybersecurity, Fordham University, New York, USA

    Kristen N. Griggs, Olya Ossipova, Christopher P. Kohlios, Alessandro N. Baccarini, Emily A. Howson & Thaier Hayajneh

Authors
  1. Kristen N. Griggs
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  2. Olya Ossipova
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  3. Christopher P. Kohlios
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  4. Alessandro N. Baccarini
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  5. Emily A. Howson
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  6. Thaier Hayajneh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thaier Hayajneh.

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Conflict of interests

K. Griggs declares that she has no conflict of interest. O. Ossipova declares that she has no conflict of interest. C. Kohlios declares that he has no conflict of interest. A. Baccarini declares that he has no conflict of interest. E. Howson declares that she has no conflict of interest. T. Hayajneh declares that he has no conflict of interest. This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Mobile & Wireless Health

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Griggs, K.N., Ossipova, O., Kohlios, C.P. et al. Healthcare Blockchain System Using Smart Contracts for Secure Automated Remote Patient Monitoring. J Med Syst 42, 130 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-018-0982-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-018-0982-x

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