Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science

Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Yeungnam University Institute Medical Science (영남대 의대 학술지 편집위원회)
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Storing information of stroke rehabilitation patients using blockchain technology: a software study

  • Chang, Min Cheol (Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Yeungnam University College of Medicine)
  • Received : 2021.07.28
  • Accepted : 2021.08.13
  • Published : 2022.04.30
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Abstract

Background: Stroke patients usually experience damage to multiple functions and a long rehabilitation period. Hence, there is a large volume of patient clinical information. It thus takes a long time for clinicians to identify the patient's information and essential pieces of information may be overlooked. To solve this, we stored the essential clinical information of stroke patients in a blockchain and implemented the blockchain technology using the Java programming language. Methods: We created a mini blockchain to store the medical information of patients using the Java programming language. Results: After generating a unique pair of public/private keys for identity verification, a patient's identity is verified by applying the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm based on the generated keys. When the identity verification is complete, new medical data are stored in the transaction list and the generated transaction is verified. When verification is completed normally, the block hash value is derived using the transaction value and the hash value of the previous block. The hash value of the previous block is then stored in the generated block to interconnect the blocks. Conclusion: We demonstrated that blockchain can be used to store and deliver the patient information of stroke patients. It may be difficult to directly implement the code that we developed in the medical field, but it can serve as a starting point for the creation of a blockchain system to be used in the field.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The present study was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korean government (grant no. NRF-2019M3E5D1A02068106).

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