With an aim to digitize healthcare, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) researchers have successfully developed a one-of-a-kind medical data exchange system based on blockchain for a mobile phone based application. The data exchange system is called ‘BlockTrack’ and it is undergoing field tests at the IIT Madras Institute Hospital at the present. Infosys is backing the project as part of its CSR program.
The aim of the BlockTrack system is to not only digitize healthcare information systems, but also ensure that medical records and sensitive personal information are protected. This is done by decentralizing the ownership and control of patient data with the help of a blockchain-based innovation. The BlockTrack system has also been patented now and a provisional IP has already been filed at the Indian Patent Office.
There are separate applications for doctors and patients in the android version of the application. The BlockTrack system ensures uniqueness across boundaries with little to no duplication through its algorithm, which generates identification codes for users. With this, the promise of universal and transferrable healthcare information management can now be fulfilled. The BlockTrack system has emphasized the importance of data privacy. Not only this, it will track the spread of infectious diseases across different geographies.
The engineering innovations in the BlockTrack project have the potential of being a transformation to many domains. Being the first blockchain technology that secures healthcare data management systems, the impact of BlockTrack would be far-reaching. It will pave the way for securely digitizing medical data and also in maintaining unique patient records not just across the country, but across the world eventually.
