Blockchain technology for secure COVID-19 pandemic data handling
Agbotiname Lucky Imoize, Daisy Osarugue Irabor, Peter Anuoluwapo Gbadega, Chinmay Chakraborty · Institution of Engineering and Technology eBooks · 2022
In recent times, COVID-19 pandemic data collected via the Internet of Medical Things-enabled channels can be transmitted seamlessly and processed remotely by medical practitioners globally. However, the confidentiality and integrity of these channels pose serious security concerns. The transmission of medical information, which comprises highly sensitive personal data, must meet stringent security requirements. In order to achieve this, blockchain has been deployed to enhance the security, confidentially, trust, and integrity of sensitive data being transmitted over insecure channels as a result of its cryptographic characteristics. Blockchain is regarded as a protected and distributed structure of data, which enhances security, simplifies the tracking, and analyses the stored medical information independently. Additionally, blockchain allows the transmission and exchange of messages between two parties in a network configuration, independent of sole trusted authority. Blockchain technology is verifiably safe against an attacker who mismanages the scheme and compromises the central controller. Furthermore, blockchain technology has been deployed to handle distributed medical data in standard medical laboratories. The decentralized and immutability features of blockchain have facilitated the rapid development of the beyond 5G wireless services for health-related data sharing and processing. However, the adoption of blockchain technology in medical data handling is still in its infancy, and the need for a rigorous study in this domain cannot be overemphasized. Toward this end, this chapter first highlights how blockchain technology has developed in recent times and how it is applied in the medical data-handling space. Further to this, the chapter examines the potential benefits, key challenges, and prospects in blockchain technology. Additionally, the chapter highlights research efforts in blockchain in healthcare, especially as it relates to the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter also discusses the application of blockchain technology in healthcare data-handling practices that can build trust with automated tracking of integrity and responsible credential verification. Finally, practical COVID-19 pandemic data were analyzed and presented to motivate the chapter further.