A Combined Framework of InterPlanetary File System and Blockchain to Securely Manage Electronic Medical Records

Blockchain has become a popular research area since its introduction, as the benefit has been seen in various industries. It could greatly benefit the healthcare sector as it offers anonymity, immutability, and decentralization of data. Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems face crucial problems regarding data security, accessibility, and management. A great deal of security threats relating to patient privacy involves unauthorized access to medical records, misuse of patient’s disease reports, and so on. To address these issues, we have proposed a blockchain combined with the InterPlanetary File System solution framework for EMR in the healthcare industry. The aim is to implement the blockchain for EMR and provide access rules for various users of it. The proposed framework, while protecting patient privacy, allows convenient access by approved authorities such as healthcare providers to medical data.