IIT-Madras researchers develop blockchain-based healthcare systems

CHENNAI: IIT Madras researchers have developed ‘BlockTrack’, a first-of-its-kind blockchain-based secure medical data and information exchange system for a mobile phone-based application, which is currently being field-tested at the institute’s hospital.

A release said BlockTrack aims to securely digitise healthcare information systems while ensuring protection of sensitive personal information and medical records by decentralising the control and ownership of patient data, through a blockchain-based innovation. The BlockTrack innovation is now protected through a provisional IP filed with the Indian Patent Office.

The Android version has been developed separately for patients and doctors. It opens up universal and transferable healthcare information management with a strong emphasis on data privacy and tracking the spread of infectious diseases across geographies.

It allows the interoperability of systems from multiple hospitals, institutes, and healthcare organisations. The patient can choose to visit any healthcare facility which is on BlockTrack’s blockchain network without any concerns about duplication of records or re-registrations, said the release. 

BlockTrack is developed by a team led by Prabhu Rajagopal, Lead Faculty for Remote Diagnostics, Center for Nondestructive Evaluation (CNDE), Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras. This is one of the first implementations of blockchain technology for securing Healthcare Data Management Systems and we see immense impact this approach can make in securely digitising and maintaining unique patient records across the country and indeed across the world eventually.

K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India, said, “The National Digital Health Mission launched by the Indian Government last year had secure processing of individual data and easy accessibility of digitalised personal and medical records by individuals and health service providers as its two important objectives. Effective implementation of these objectives will require leveraging emerging technologies. BlockTrack is a step in the right direction.”