BLOCKCHAIN BASED HEALTH INFORMATICS FOR PANDEMIC MANAGEMENT

Abstract

“The economic costs of COVID-19 are devastating, on a scale perhaps never seen in modern times. At this stage, the human costs are unfathomable. This is one of those rare turning points in history. The COVID-19 pandemic will profoundly change our economy, our behaviour, and society. Some leaders who failed the test will lose their jobs. Some governments that failed their people will lose their power. Many institutions will come under scrutiny and, we hope, change for the better. This is new promise of the digital economy. It’s a new promise because we’re in a new second era of the digital age, where technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), augmented and virtual reality (AR/ VR), biotech, and above all, blockchain are providing leaders with an unprecedented set of opportunities. These technologies have not stormed the world; rather, they’ve developed slowly in an uneven and combined or complementary manner. These technologies are now relevant as never before, not just to business and the economy but the future of public health and the safety of global populations. Traditional systems have failed and it’s time for a new paradigm. To build on Victor Hugo,” “Nothing is more powerful than an idea that has become a necessity.” “Recently, there have been increasing calls for healthcare providers to provide controls for patients over their personal health records. Nevertheless, security issues concerning how different healthcare providers exchange healthcare information have caused a flop in the deployment of such systems. The ability to exchange data securely is important so that new borderless integrated healthcare services can be provided to patients. Due to its decentralized nature, blockchain technology is a suitable driver for the much-needed shift towards integrated healthcare, providing new insights and addressing some of the main challenges of many healthcare areas. Blockchain allows healthcare providers to record and manage peer-to-peer transactions through a network without central authority. In this report I also discussed the concept of blockchain technology and hurdles in their adoption in the healthcare domain.” “This project report focuses on following three areas— Self-sovereign identity and data governance, supply chain (Pharmacy) and healthcare informatics management.” “Self-sovereign identity, health records, and shared data is the most important asset in fighting pandemics. Without it, we can’t answer critical questions:” “Who are infected? Where have they travelled?” “If any useful data exists now, it sits in institutional silos, inaccessible to individuals and other stakeholders. We need better access to the data of entire populations and a speedy consent-based data sharing system. The trade-off between privacy and public safety need not be so stark. Through self-sovereign identities where individuals own their health records and can freely volunteer it to governments, clinicians, drug companies and others, we can achieve both.” “Supply chains are critical infrastructure for our globally connected economy, and COVID-19 has put them under tremendous strain, exposing potential weaknesses in their design. We must build supply chains that are transparent, where information can be accessed quickly, and where participants can trust that information about goods are accurate. Blockchain serves as a” “state machine” “that allows us to know the state of not only our suppliers but also the assets themselves.” “Blockchain based Health Informatics for Pandemic Management” P a g e 8 | 95 “Front-line medical professionals are the heroes and our last line of defence. Yet hospitals can’t onboard people fast enough. This is not for lack of talent; it’s the inability to find them. This talent management paradox, where organizations continuously struggle to tap into the pool of skilled people looking for work. How does blockchain solve this? By streamlining coordination among different geographies, departments, and certification bodies so that process becomes more efficient and transparent. Convoluted criteria checks, redundancies in the certification process, and the processing of documents all slow down (re)licensing. If, as part of a self-sovereign identity, every professional had verifiable and trusted professional information, then we could resolve this talent management paradox and get people to where we needed them, saving lives and starting jobs in the process.” “People respond to incentives. That’s the consensus among behavioural economists and a theme of much public policy: How do we improve individual and business accountability during a crisis? What kinds of incentives do we need to manifest behaviours that will prevent viral outbreaks from rocketing into pandemics or mitigate the damage that pandemics cause—without compromising privacy or liberty? Government must be aligned, too. How do we encourage policymakers, governments, businesses, and other institutions to prepare for the inevitable by keeping supplies on hand, designing a strategy for handling public health crises, or reserving funds for swift response? Crypto economics can help with alignment. Blockchain serves as a mechanism to synch up the incentives of stakeholder groups around issues and activities, changing patterns of behaviour in the process.” “Governments must wake up to the blockchain opportunity. Every national government should create an emergency task force on medical data to start planning and implementing blockchain initiatives. They can stimulate the development of technology firms working on the solutions described here. They can act as a model user of these important platforms and applications. They must focus on the supply side of the market for data, not just the demand side. That means passing legislation to mobilize stakeholders around creating self-sovereign identities and citizen-owned health records. They should pilot blockchain incentive systems for motivating people to behave responsibly. They should partner with medical professional associations and other players to implement blockchain credential systems. Governments have the world’s largest supply chains, many involved in producing critical medical provisions. They should rapidly pilot asset chains as described herein. Central banks should move swiftly to create a fiat digital currency in their country and the International Monetary Fund should provide leadership in rolling these into a global, hegemonic, synthetic digital currency.” “The project report also provides recommendations for the private sector and civil society.”