Design of Secure Protocol for Cloud-Assisted Electronic Health Record System Using Blockchain

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Computer Science
• Cybersecurity

Background:

• Traditional electronic health record (EHR) systems face challenges in data sharing across different medical platforms.
• Blockchain technology offers potential for EHR sharing but struggles with data size and cost limitations.
• Cloud computing provides scalable storage but introduces security vulnerabilities for sensitive health data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a secure protocol for a cloud-assisted EHR system utilizing blockchain technology.
• To enhance EHR data integrity, access control, and secure sharing in a distributed healthcare environment.
• To address the limitations of blockchain and cloud computing in EHR management.

Main Methods:

• Integration of blockchain for data integrity and access control via log transactions.
• Utilization of cloud servers for secure and scalable EHR storage.
• Implementation of Elliptic Curve Cryptosystems (ECC) for secure health data sharing.
• Security analysis using informal methods and AVISPA simulation.
• Authentication verification using BAN logic analysis.

Main Results:

• The proposed system effectively prevents various security attacks, as confirmed by AVISPA simulations.
• Secure mutual authentication is achieved, validated through BAN logic analysis.
• Comparative analysis shows favorable computation and communication overhead compared to existing schemes.
• The system demonstrates robust security properties suitable for practical healthcare applications.

Conclusions:

• The developed cloud-assisted EHR system effectively leverages blockchain and ECC for enhanced security and efficiency.
• The protocol provides a viable solution for secure and interoperable health data sharing.
• The system is well-suited for practical implementation in modern healthcare settings, balancing security and performance.