According to the research authors, utilizing NFTs and blockchain expertise to construct a safe healthcare knowledge trade platform will significantly impression the way in which knowledge is dealt with in each healthcare analysis and scientific pathways. (Image courtesy of Adobe Stock/denisismagilov)

A wave of digital transformation has washed over healthcare within the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuing within the accelerated adoption of digital well being options reminiscent of telemedicine, distant monitoring and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), robotics and synthetic intelligence (AI).

This, based on a SingHealth information launch, prompted an upward surge within the technology and move of well being knowledge, which is anticipated to proceed as healthcare suppliers, together with ophthalmologists, and sufferers develop extra accustomed to digital options, and healthcare programs gear up with rising applied sciences to sort out the challenges of the long run.

With this improve in digital well being knowledge, a crew of clinicians from SingHealth anticipate a rising want for privacy-preserving options to empower sufferers to take higher possession of their well being and to boost the functions of information for medical analysis and scientific care functions. In a not too long ago revealed editorial piece within the journal Nature Medicine,1 the crew explored the usage of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as a possible knowledge administration resolution to bridge this hole and revolutionize knowledge trade in healthcare.

According to the information launch, an NFT is a singular digital knowledge unit saved on the blockchain, underneath a single possession that’s irreplaceable, and which might be traded. Like digital property which are traded as industrial NFTs as we speak, well being knowledge might be minted, exchanged and saved utilizing blockchain expertise, bearing the identical options of uniqueness, transparency and interoperability. This signifies that sufferers will be capable of personal their private well being knowledge and trade it as digital property with a number of stakeholders, reminiscent of healthcare suppliers, utilizing the identical blockchain expertise.

Similar to how cryptocurrencies are traded with cell wallets, every affected person can personal, retailer and share their well being knowledge within the type of NFTs utilizing a well being pockets hosted on a safe web-based or smartphone utility, making this mode of information administration simply accessible, but safe and personal.

Moreover, the information launch famous the important thing distinction between present industrial NFT marketplaces and a blockchain ledger devoted to the trade of well being knowledge is that the well being knowledge ledger might be programmed to disallow public viewing of its knowledge. When a affected person must share their well being knowledge with a healthcare supplier, they can provide the healthcare supplier entry to and permit them to view the required data. This preserves affected person privateness, solely permitting knowledge house owners – the sufferers themselves – to allow the entry and sharing of their private well being knowledge.

Empowering sufferers, bettering care

Presently, affected person knowledge is protected stored and shared when needed by establishments reminiscent of healthcare suppliers, analysis institutes, insurance coverage firms and authorities our bodies. Transiting to the usage of NFTs would require a paradigm shift in mindset for sufferers and caregivers. Managing well being knowledge as NFTs will give the total possession of private well being knowledge to sufferers, entrusting them with the duty of storing the info and sharing it when needed. This ensures correct and full well being data from every particular person, and empowers them to have interaction of their well being journey extra proactively, which has proven to provide higher healthcare outcomes in the long term.

The SingHealth information launch famous affected person possession of well being knowledge may additionally enable for higher fluidity of healthcare data. Currently, affected person knowledge is protected underneath strict knowledge privateness guidelines. The use of NFTs will shift the onus of sharing particular person affected person knowledge to every affected person, thus fostering a better relationship between the healthcare supplier and the affected person.

Ensuring Data Authenticity for Better Research Outcomes

When private well being knowledge is owned by sufferers, any unauthorized entry and use of information saved in private well being functions and institutional databases might be mitigated, because the proprietor of each piece of information has to provide permission earlier than it’s shared. This provides sufferers full autonomy over their private well being knowledge and who they want to share it with, for analysis or some other functions.

In addition, SingHealth famous within the launch sharing well being knowledge as NFTs ensures full transparency and accuracy of healthcare analysis knowledge, as a result of traceable and unalterable nature of the blockchain. This signifies that researchers might be sure of the authenticity of information getting used of their analysis, resulting in higher knowledge integrity and higher analysis outcomes.

The identical expertise can be utilized to different areas of healthcare, reminiscent of prescription drugs, the place each drug produced might be encoded and saved on a blockchain ledger. From level of manufacturing to supply to the end-user, the drug might be tracked all through your entire provide chain. This allows drug verification to stop counterfeit medicine, in addition to prevents the misuse of medication by healthcare suppliers and sufferers.

Teo Zhen Ling, MD, served as lead writer of the paper and is an ophthalmology resident at Singapore National Eye Centre.

“Using NFTs and blockchain technology to build a secure healthcare data exchange platform will greatly impact the way data is handled in both healthcare research and clinical pathways,” Ling stated. “At present, we see great potential for its application in areas such as clinical and pharmaceutical trials, where the ability to verify the authenticity of patient data is extremely vital to the accuracy of research findings.”

Ling additionally famous it’ll additionally allow us to make sure affected person compliance in analysis trials the place IoMT is getting used to watch and gather knowledge on well being exercise and important indicators.

Importantly, past analysis settings, the flexibility for sufferers to entry and personal their knowledge helps affected person autonomy and will increase sufferers’ engagement in their very own care,” Ling stated.

Daniel Ting, MD, PhD, director, Artificial Intelligence Office, SingHealth and Head, AI and Digital Innovation, Singapore Eye Research Institute, who can be the senior and corresponding writer of the paper, identified that on this age of healthcare digitalization and Industry 4.0, the technology and trade of well being knowledge is anticipated to develop exponentially.

“From securely obtaining patient data for diagnosis and treatment, to the verification of the origin of massive data sets, strategic applications of blockchain technology, or other alternative privacy-preserving or enhancing technologies, in healthcare can bring about a stronger and safer infrastructure for health data management,” he stated. “Over time, it will also herald a paradigm shift in patient care and healthcare research as digital technologies and their applications continue to gain sophistication and become more broadly utilized in different industries.”

As with the introduction of any new expertise, there are numerous essential issues to make and obstacles to beat. SingHealth famous exploring the potential adoption of NFTs as a substitute privacy-preserving expertise in healthcare is not any completely different. These embody assessing the flexibility to ascertain the right technological infrastructure, reminiscent of a blockchain-enabled ‘biodata’ platform, in addition to putting in completely different types of safeguard to make sure knowledge safety and mitigate dangers reminiscent of theft of NFTs – which isn’t remarkable within the industrial NFT market. Nonetheless, NFTs in healthcare have many thrilling potential advantages and will revolutionize the administration of well being knowledge in time to come back.

Reference:

1 Teo, Z.L., Ting, D.S.W. Non-fungible tokens for the administration of well being knowledge. Nat Med29, 287–288 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-02125-2