Blockchain Technology for Electronic Health Records A Paradigm Shift in Healthcare Data Management

Healthcare is changing as a result of the use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in order to improve access, care quality, and operational efficiency. Traditional EHR systems do, however, have significant drawbacks, including security flaws, a lack of data interoperability, patient privacy issues, and issues with data ownership. Blockchain’s decentralized, unchangeable nature has made it an intriguing solution to this issue. By offering a safe, transparent, and impenetrable platform for data management, blockchain can improve the accessibility and integrity of medical records while shielding patient data from breaches and unwanted access. The study investigates how blockchain technology might transform EHR administration and get around the drawbacks of conventional solutions. It examines how blockchain’s technical underpinnings—such as consensus processes, smart contracts, and cryptographic hashing—support contemporary healthcare. In order to demonstrate how these features might actually help EHR administration, the article examines a few real-world case studies for blockchain applications in healthcare, including the MedRec project, IBM’s blockchain solutions, and Estonia’s blockchain-based eHealth system.