Permissioned blockchain acts as a data notarization mechanism in a network of federated organizations that improves transparency and efficiency, benefits cross-industry data, keeps proprietary information private and eliminates supply chain risks.
Every document, product and measurement (e.g., informed consent, study protocol, medical record, biological product) should be time stamped to prove its existence and digitally recorded in a way that prevents forgery or alteration that violates protocols, good clinical practice (GCP), or even laws.
Clinical protocols should be cost-efficient, compliant with regulations, auditable, safe, fast, and transparent to all stakeholders in the network, and blockchain can provide all of the above, with an immutable audit trail that improves privacy and data security.
Blockchain can help ensure the safety and privacy of patients, donors and participants in clinical trials while also reducing timelines, aid researchers and clinicians in recording clinical data in real time as soon as it becomes available. It enables cross-border audit trail while reducing costs, as the need for traditional audits, file reviews, lost document investigations, and litigation would decrease due to the existence of blockchain’s immutable data.
Additionally, de-identified data stored on blockchain improves quality of data for research and can help to control epidemics and pandemics globally, to improve accuracy, collaboration, while preserving privacy and for regulatory compliance.
ConnectHealth has expertise developing smart-contracts in Hyperledger Fabric for data notarization and audit trail in Universal Health Chain (UHC), which is a federated network governed by the UNID Foundation.
Documentation on Github: https://github.com/Universal-Health-Chain/docs