Anonymized Distributed PHR Using Blockchain for Openness and Non-repudiation Guarantee.

We introduce our solution developed for data privacy, and specifically for cognitive security that can be enforced and guaranteed using blockchain technology in SAAL (Smart Ambient Assisted Living) environments. Using our proposal the access to a patient’s clinical process resists tampering and ransomware attacks that have recently plagued the HIS (Hospital Information Systems) in various countries. One important side effect of this data infrastructure is that it can be accessed in open form, for research purposes for instance, since no individual re-identification or group profiling is possible by any means

Achieving cybersecurity in blockchain-based systems: a survey

With The Increase In Connectivity, The Popularization Of Cloud Services, And The Rise Of The Internet Of Things (Iot), Decentralized Approaches For Trust Management Are Gaining Momentum. Since Blockchain Technologies Provide A Distributed Ledger, They Are Receiving Massive Attention From The Research Community In Different Application Fields. However, This Technology Does Not Provide With Cybersecurity By Itself. Thus, This Survey Aims To Provide With A Comprehensive Review Of Techniques And Elements That Have Been Proposed To Achieve Cybersecurity In Blockchain-Based Systems. The Analysis Is Intended To Target Area Researchers, Cybersecurity Specialists And Blockchain Developers. For This Purpose, We Analyze 272 Papers From 2013 To 2020 And 128 Industrial Applications. We Summarize The Lessons Learned And Identify Several Matters To Foster Further Research In This AreaThis work has been partially funded by MINECO, Spain grantsTIN2016-79095-C2-2-R (SMOG-DEV) and PID2019-111429RB-C21 (ODIO-COW); by CAM, Spain grants S2013/ICE-3095 (CIBERDINE),P2018/TCS-4566 (CYNAMON), co-funded by European Structural Funds (ESF and FEDER); by UC3M-CAM grant CAVTIONS-CM-UC3M; by the Excellence Program for University Researchers, Spain; and by Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Spain under the project LINKA20216 (“Advancing in cybersecurity technologies”, i-LINK+ program)

The Use of Blockchain Technology in the Health Care Sector:Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: Blockchain technology is a part of Industry 4.0’s new Internet of Things applications: decentralized systems, distributed ledgers, and immutable and cryptographically secure technology. This technology entails a series of transaction lists with identical copies shared and retained by different groups or parties. One field where blockchain technology has tremendous potential is health care, due to the more patient-centric approach to the health care system as well as blockchain’s ability to connect disparate systems and increase the accuracy of electronic health records. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to systematically review studies on the use of blockchain technology in health care and to analyze the characteristics of the studies that have implemented blockchain technology. METHODS: This study used a systematic review methodology to find literature related to the implementation aspect of blockchain technology in health care. Relevant papers were searched for using PubMed, SpringerLink, IEEE Xplore, Embase, Scopus, and EBSCOhost. A quality assessment of literature was performed on the 22 selected papers by assessing their trustworthiness and relevance. RESULTS: After full screening, 22 papers were included. A table of evidence was constructed, and the results of the selected papers were interpreted. The results of scoring for measuring the quality of the publications were obtained and interpreted. Out of 22 papers, a total of 3 (14%) high-quality papers, 9 (41%) moderate-quality papers, and 10 (45%) low-quality papers were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Blockchain technology was found to be useful in real health care environments, including for the management of electronic medical records, biomedical research and education, remote patient monitoring, pharmaceutical supply chains, health insurance claims, health data analytics, and other potential areas. The main reasons for the implementation of blockchain technology in the health care sector were identified as data integrity, access control, data logging, data versioning, and nonrepudiation. The findings could help the scientific community to understand the implementation aspect of blockchain technology. The results from this study help in recognizing the accessibility and use of blockchain technology in the health care sector

Experiência Profissionalizante na vertente de Farmácia Comunitária e Investigação

O presente relatório para a obtenção do grau de mestre em Ciências Farmacêuticas é constituído por dois capítulos e encontra-se inserido na Unidade Curricular Estágio. O primeiro capítulo, refere-se à componente de Investigação, consiste numa revisão bibliográfica sobre a aplicação da tecnologia blockchain como meio de atingir a interoperabilidade de registos clínicos em saúde. O segundo capítulo corresponde ao relatório do estágio curricular em farmácia comunitária realizado na Farmácia Sena Padez no Fundão, sob orientação da Dra. Teresa Padez. A digitalização dos registos clínicos traduziu-se numa grande evolução para os cuidados de saúde, as instituições e a sociedade em geral. No entanto, a parca capacidade das instituições de saúde de comunicarem entre si e partilharem os registos clínicos eletrónicos (EHR), é um entrave à formulação de sistemas de informação robustos que assistam os profissionais de saúde na prática clínica diária. Neste trabalho introduzimos o problema da interoperabilidade e o estado da arte nesta matéria, desde o surgimento dos EHR e dos standards para facilitarem a sua partilha, até ao ecossistema de saúde digital que vigora em Portugal. Numa segunda fase deste estudo procurámos perceber de que forma a tecnologia blockhain poderá facilitar a transição para ambientes interoperáveis em saúde, de forma segura, robusta e confiável. Abordamos ainda aplicações adicionais da tecnologia, como a integração com a Internet of Things e a Inteligência Artificial e a gestão de cadeias de abastecimento farmacêuticas. Concluímos que no seu estado atual de desenvolvimento ainda há desafios que devem ser resolvidos, como a escalabilidade, o mecanismo de consenso que gere a rede e qual deve ser o tipo de dados a armazenar na blockchain. Assim, não é possível afirmar de forma categórica que a blockchain é uma solução absoluta para o problema da interoperabilidade. O segundo capítulo descreve o estágio curricular realizado entre 21 de janeiro de 2019 e 31 de maio de 2019, com um total de 800 horas. Este capítulo pretende expor a realidade quotidiana do farmacêutico de comunidade, as suas funções enquanto especialista do medicamento e as vicissitudes da farmácia comunitária. No decorrer do estágio em farmácia comunitária foi fácil constatar que os farmacêuticos, dispõem de poucas informações clínicas dos utentes, o que muitas vezes limita a sua intervenção na prestação de cuidados de saúde de qualidade.This report for obtaining the master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences consists of two chapters and is included in the “Estágio” (Internship) Curricular Unit. The first chapter, which refers to the Research component, consists of a literature review on the application of blockchain technology as a mean to achieve interoperability in clinical health records. The second chapter refers to the report of the curricular internship in community pharmacy held at Farmácia Sena Padez in Fundão, under the supervision of Dr. Teresa Padez. The digitization of clinical records turned out to be a major evolution for healthcare, institutions and society at large. However, the poor capacity of health institutions to communicate with each other and share electronic clinical records (EHR) is a barrier to the formulation of robust information systems that assist health professionals in daily clinical practice. In this report we introduce the interoperability problem and the state of the art in this field, from the emergence of EHR and standards to facilitate their sharing, to the digital health ecosystem that exists in Portugal. In the second phase of this study we sought to understand how the blockhain technology can facilitate the transition to interoperable, safe, robust and reliable healthcare environments. We also address additional applications of this technology, such as the integration with the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence, and pharmaceutical supply chain management. We conclude that in its current state of development, there are still challenges that need to be addressed, such as scalability, the consensus engine that manages the network, and what type of data to store in the blockchain. Thus, it cannot be categorically stated that blockchain is an absolute solution to the interoperability problem. The second chapter describes the community pharmacy curricular internship, developed between January 21st, 2019 and May 31st, 2019, with a total of 800 hours. This chapter aims to expose the daily reality of the community pharmacist, his duties as a healthcare professional and the vicissitudes of the community pharmacy. During the internship in community pharmacy it was easy to see that pharmacists have little clinical information from users, which often limits their intervention in providing quality health care

Front-Line Physicians' Satisfaction with Information Systems in Hospitals

Day-to-day operations management in hospital units is difficult due to continuously varying situations, several actors involved and a vast number of information systems in use. The aim of this study was to describe front-line physicians' satisfaction with existing information systems needed to support the day-to-day operations management in hospitals. A cross-sectional survey was used and data chosen with stratified random sampling were collected in nine hospitals. Data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The response rate was 65 % (n = 111). The physicians reported that information systems support their decision making to some extent, but they do not improve access to information nor are they tailored for physicians. The respondents also reported that they need to use several information systems to support decision making and that they would prefer one information system to access important information. Improved information access would better support physicians' decision making and has the potential to improve the quality of decisions and speed up the decision making process.Peer reviewe