Blockchain for Remote Patient Monitoring: A Narrative Review

Background and aims: Medical data plays a critical role in disease diagnosis and treatment, andas technology advances, electronic medical records have become more accessible and easier tostore. However, the importance of medical data and the need to keep it secure requires attentionto data privacy. To address this, researchers have turned to secure data storage and transmissionmethods, such as blockchain. Blockchain has gained significant attention in the healthcare industrydue to its decentralized and tamper-proof nature, making it one of the most popular solutionsfor sharing medical data.One area where blockchain technology has demonstrated potential is in remote patient monitoring(RPM). RPM involves using technology to monitor patients’ health remotely, allowing for earlydetection and intervention of health issues. To explore the potential of blockchain for RPM, weconducted a narrative review of the literature, searching various databases such as Scopus, Web ofScience, PubMed, and Google Scholar using keywords like “blockchain”, “remote patient monitoring”,“healthcare”, and “patient data”. We included articles published between ۲۰۱۵ and ۲۰۲۲that discussed the use of blockchain in RPM.Method: We conducted a narrative review of the literature on blockchain for RPM. We searchedScopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases using keywords such as “blockchain”,“remote patient monitoring”, “healthcare” and “patient data”. We included articles publishedbetween ۲۰۱۵ and ۲۰۲۲ that discussed the use of blockchain in RPM.Results: Recent research has focused on the use of blockchain in the medical and healthcarefields, particularly in information-sharing systems. Access to a patient’s complete medical historyis crucial for accurate diagnosis and treatment, and blockchain technology can provide a reliable,efficient, and secure way of managing medical data. While sharing medical records can improvediagnosis accuracy, maintaining privacy and security is of utmost importance.In addition to enhanced data security, using blockchain technology in remote patient monitoring(RPM) has several potential benefits. These include increased patient privacy, improved datainteroperability, and reduced healthcare costs. However, implementing blockchain in healthcarecomes with its own set of challenges, including legal restrictions, technical difficulties, and a lackof standardization.Overall, while blockchain technology shows great promise for improving healthcare informationmanagement, careful consideration and planning are required to address the challenges and ensuresuccessful implementation.Conclusion: Researchers have identified multiple potential applications for blockchain technologyin the medical field. One of the most promising areas is remote patient monitoring, whereblockchain can provide a secure and transparent platform for storing and sharing patient data.However, there are challenges that need to be addressed for successful implementation of thistechnology in healthcare. Despite these challenges, blockchain’s potential for improving patientoutcomes and reducing costs makes it a promising technology in the medical field. Further researchis necessary to explore the full potential of blockchain for remote patient monitoring andto overcome the challenges associated with implementing this technology in healthcare. Withcareful consideration and planning, blockchain could revolutionize the way we manage medicaldata and improve patient outcomes.

کلیدواژه ها:

blockchain ، healthcare ، medical records ، remote patient monitoring ، patient data