Unified Identification Protocol for Cross-Border Healthcare.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Digital Health
• International Health Law

Background:

• Fragmented digital health systems hinder cross-border patient data exchange.
• Lack of standardized patient identification poses privacy and access challenges.
• Existing telehealth solutions often lack user control over personal health information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the Unified Identification Protocol (UIP) for secure, patient-controlled digital identities in cross-border healthcare.
• To demonstrate UIP's integration with International Patient Summary (IPS) and Web 3.0 principles.
• To outline a framework for transparent and compliant international health data sharing.

Main Methods:

• Development of a user-centric digital identity protocol (UIP).
• Integration of UIP with standards like International Patient Summary (IPS), SMART-On-FHIR API, FHIR Contract, DID Documents, and blockchain.
• Implementation of user consent mechanisms for data sharing.

Main Results:

• UIP enables patients to generate unique digital identities linked to local identifiers.
• The protocol ensures secure, encrypted, and user-approved cross-border health data exchange.
• UIP facilitates the certification of health-related competencies for various stakeholders.

Conclusions:

• UIP establishes a new paradigm for telehealth, prioritizing patient data control and privacy.
• The protocol harmonizes disparate systems, promoting seamless access to health information globally.
• UIP supports regulatory compliance and enhances healthcare management through certified competencies.