Blockchain has risen among the ranks of artificial intelligence in its domination of the technological lexicon. Researchers and businesses alike have come to realize blockchain’s potential and are readily finding applications for the technology. An analysis published in the Journal of Digital Imaging suggests that blockchain can potentially have a significant impact on not just medicine, but specifically the medical imaging industry. This blog will examine three ways in which blockchain could change radiology.
For starters, though many people may have heard this term before, perhaps not many of them are familiar with how it works. In essence, blockchain is a distributed transaction network where interconnected computers work together as a system to store blocks of encrypted data that are then chained together. The blocks of data contain the details of transactions between users, which is a string of data that can contain any kind of information. The encryption aspect is what allows for the data to be stored securely, and its format of linked data lends it a great degree of flexibility. Right now in medicine, blockchain is mostly being applied to the keeping of electronic health records.
Radiology may see improvements through the implementation of blockchain in three ways:
Empowering Patients
One of the key aspects of blockchain is that the database is decentralized. Through blockchain, the information is constantly updated and exists in many places at once. Advances in blockchain technology may someday allow patients to truly own their imaging data and control the access that healthcare providers would have to it. Compare that to today’s method, which is to send patients home with CDs full of images. Through blockchain, it would be much easier for patients to access their own images while simultaneously making all data more secure.
Improved Education
Radiology trainees may also see a benefit from blockchain technology because it could help instructors monitor the process of their students and track their development over time. The opposite is also true, that students can also assess their faculty and instructors using blockchain.
Better Research
Establishing substantial databases of imaging data is necessary for the development of radiomics and AI applications, but it poses an especially difficult challenge for researchers. Blockchain would provide a reliable method to manage patient consent and image sharing between institutions.