Blockchain in Healthcare: How Technology is Reshaping Patient Data and Security
The healthcare industry faces long-standing issues with data management, patient privacy, and operational inefficiencies. Many healthcare providers still rely on fragmented systems that lead to lost information, repeated tests, and billing errors. As technology continues to evolve, blockchain is emerging as a promising tool to enhance trust, transparency, and data integrity within healthcare systems. This article explores how blockchain can be applied to healthcare, its potential benefits, and the challenges that must be addressed before widespread adoption. What is Blockchain? Blockchain is a decentralized digital ledger that records transactions across multiple computers. Instead of being stored in one central database, every participant in the network holds a copy of the entire record. Each “block” contains data and links securely to the previous one, creating an unchangeable chain. In healthcare, this level of transparency and security can improve patient data management, stre...