An analysis of the suitability of blockchain as a trustworthy data sharing solution for the healthcare industry.

Abstract

This research explores the benefits and critical success factors of trustworthy data sharing through literature review and five interviews with experts in the healthcare industry. The literature has revealed five benefits and six critical success factors for trustworthy data sharing. Subsequently, an additional benefit and two more critical success factors emerged from the interviews. From the interviews, it emerged that trustworthy data sharing will not lead to an increase in patient’s trust in diagnoses. However, it does have a positive effect on costs and overdiagnosis in healthcare. Apart from the critical success factors identified in the theory, it is recognized in practice that patient interconnectivity between suppliers should also be considered a critical success factor. The sharing of healthcare data is an essential step toward making the healthcare system smarter and improving the quality of healthcare services. There has been an upward trend in data breaches, which exposed medical records over the last ten years. This report recommends the implementation of a permissioned blockchain to address the critical success factors and enable the benefits of trustworthy data sharing.

Date of Award	9 Feb 2024
Original language	English
Supervisor	Roger Bons (Examiner) & Pien Walraven (Co-assessor)