Envision a health care team caring for your elderly relative—lacking the complete information. This is the reality of the U.S. health care system. Our system is failing nursing home residents, the most vulnerable demographic, by maintaining an antiquated, ineffective data-sharing mechanism. To enhance nursing home care, health data must be shared and organized efficiently among hospitals and facilities, ensuring personalized treatments for patients with complex needs. Sadly, current data-sharing practices among health care entities are inadequate, jeopardizing patient care. Blockchain technology offers the most effective solution, enabling smooth, secure data sharing without violating privacy. It’s time for policymakers and health care organizations to take action.
A significant shortcoming in our health care system is the absence of standardized data-sharing protocols between hospitals and nursing homes, such as Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems. A review of hospital and skilled nursing facility partnerships revealed serious failures in transitional communication due to incomplete, overdue, and unusable patient data. Frontline health care professionals don’t merely observe this failure—they experience it firsthand, and their patients bear the consequences. In a particular instance of care delays, a nurse involved in a study stated, “We didn’t know what her mobility… and we didn’t know if she was weight bearing… so we left her in bed, for probably a week.” Such miscommunication undermines patient care and postpones lifesaving interventions that could genuinely enhance their quality of life. Without adequate communication, these nurses are compelled to “take care of this person with blinders on”—a troubling and uncomfortable reality. This situation calls for a daring solution, and blockchain technology can create a pathway forward.
Some contend that enhanced data sharing endangers patient privacy. While this is a legitimate concern, failing to share data effectively poses an even greater risk. In 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights recorded 725 data breaches revealing 133 million patient records. The issue isn’t data sharing itself, but the manner in which we approach it. Blockchain presents an alternative: a tamper-proof, decentralized system that empowers patients to govern access to their records, ensuring both security and privacy.
How do we achieve a balance between effective data sharing and patient privacy? The answer lies in blockchain technology, which provides an unparalleled level of security and control. Blockchain functions as a secure, permanent digital ledger for information storage. Unlike the fragmented systems we have today, blockchain safely stores patient data on independent, decentralized networks, shielding it from misuse. Patients have the authority to control access to their information using Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs).
NFTs are digital assets secured on a blockchain that house sensitive patient information and function as a log for changes made to a patient’s profile. If a patient or stakeholder modifies their health data within their NFT, authorized users can view those updates in real time. This guarantees that all health care providers involved in the patient’s treatment are armed with the most accurate information. Given blockchain’s immutability, every amendment is recorded, accessible, and verified with a digital key or signature, providing a transparent and reliable log of a patient’s medical history. By utilizing NFTs, each patient can sustain a distinct digital health record that grants authorized providers access while blocking unauthorized intrusions. This is not merely an innovation—it’s an essential step for the future of health care.
This technology also aids health care systems in optimizing care. Thanks to the tamper-proof characteristic of NFTs, stakeholders can identify the origins and timings of outbreaks within care facilities. NFTs can also facilitate the creation of digital twins—virtual models that replicate medical scenarios for nursing home patients based on copies of patient data stored in the NFT. These digital representations can be shared among health care providers and patients, with the patients’ consent, enhancing communication and optimizing treatment strategies customized to individual needs.
While blockchain and NFTs present a promising solution, certain obstacles to implementation may need to be addressed. On-chain storage can incur high costs, and numerous health care organizations might lack the necessary infrastructure to effectively implement these technologies. Nevertheless, solutions exist—if we are prepared to pursue them. Off-chain solutions—where metadata is kept externally and linked back to the blockchain—could tackle these issues, enabling a more scalable implementation without compromising security.
The U.S. health care system cannot keep putting patient safety at risk while relying on outdated technology. Blockchain provides the optimal remedy for our flawed data-sharing system without sacrificing privacy. It’s time for policymakers, hospital leaders, and technology executives to reconnect with reality. The question is not whether we should embrace blockchain, but how swiftly we can execute it before more of our loved ones endure hardship.
Adwait Chafale is a medical student.