Blockchain-Enabled IPFS Cloud Solution for Storing and Sharing Patient Data Securely and Efficiently
Md. Mainuddin, Md. Mijanur Rahman, Zaid Bin Sajid, Muhamad Anik · 2023
Modern healthcare generates a staggering volume of data daily, posing a challenge not only in managing and sharing it but also in ensuring security and privacy. Traditional centralized cloud computing solutions, while convenient, raise concerns about centralized authority and vulnerability to breaches. With cloud technology, blockchain technology emerges as a potent solution to address these issues due to its inherent characteristics of security, immutability, and decentralization. This research introduces a patient-centric framework called "MedVault Nexus," which facilitates secure and efficient sharing of patient health records with medical practitioners and healthcare institutions. The framework employs blockchain technology and leverages the distributed cloud storage system known as the Interplanetary File System (IPFS). The system securely stores patient data on IPFS using robust encryption algorithms such as the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and the Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) algorithm. The MedVault Nexus’s security was evaluated using the blockchain security testing tool known as MythX, which revealed the absence of vulnerabilities. The system’s performance was assessed by analyzing encryption-decryption times and smart contract costs. The results demonstrated favorable comparisons, signifying the MedVault Nexus’s efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Finally, the framework stands as a secure and efficient solution for addressing real-world challenges in healthcare data management.