The new year is upon us, and with that, a great deal of hope for the future. It’s been a tough few years given the global pandemic, but what can be done in order to ensure a safer way forward for all of us? Of particular concern during the pandemic has been the amount of cybersecurity threats and data breaches. These dangers amplify greatly when it comes to their role of disruption in the healthcare sector. Consider this - data breaches in hospitals can increase a hospital’s 30 day mortality rate. These data breaches end up, on average, costing a hospital $6.5 million. This breaks down to nearly $430 per patient record.

There clearly needs to be a better way to prevent such sensitive elements of our society. Perhaps this is the year that blockchain technologies are put to the test and to good use to prevent these cyber threats. There are many cybersecurity vulnerabilities commonly found in healthcare. Old medical devices are often still running, yet the companies that made them are no longer in business. Older software often has gaping security vulnerabilities which can be easily exploited, even by novice hackers that know what to look for.

The question is - what can blockchain do in order to prevent these cybersecurity threats? 

One example is to incorporate blockchain with wearable technologies. That way, every wearable would be linked to a patient hub containing all patient records in an immutable record in the blockchain ledger. Healthcare professionals would have real-time data, and patients would benefit from highly precise, personalized care. Blockchain paired with wearables would reduce complexity and cost, all the while reducing errors and enhancing overall security.

Telehealth is also a promising area of potential improvement. Incorporating blockchain in this regard would allow medical records to be stored in secure, fragmented systems. There would be a seamless exchange of data that both patient and provider would have a copy of the ledger.

Learn more about where the future of blockchain and health converge in the infographic below: