Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics, College of Business, Florida International University (FIU), Modesto A. Maidique Campus, 11200 S.W. 8th St, RB 261B, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.
BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2022 Mar 28;22(1):80. doi: 10.1186/s12911-022-01815-8.
Blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize information sharing in companies. Many studies suggest using blockchain-powered platforms to replace existing mechanisms for health information exchange (HIE) across healthcare organizations. However, very few blockchain-based projects have been implemented in the healthcare sector. This study takes a qualitative approach to explore benefits, concerns, and barriers to the rollout of blockchain in HIE projects from physicians' perspectives.
The Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) framework was used to help us better understand root causes, existing problems, perceived risks, perceived benefits, and suggestions. In-depth interviews have been conducted with 38 physicians in six months. The data were analyzed and coded using NVIVO to classify conceptually similar themes mentioned by the interviewees.
In total, seven themes have been identified. The key benefits are categorized into three themes: innovative technological features, collaborative ecosystem, and system performance. The main concerns and risks are categorized into four themes: individual, organizational, technological, and market-related issues. The findings can contribute to knowledge by highlighting key values expected from blockchain technology in HIEs. The results also explore obstacles to leveraging the blockchain in healthcare from the perspectives of an important stakeholder (physicians).
The results show that although blockchain technology may create several benefits (e.g., innovative technological features, collaborative ecosystem, and system performance), its applications in healthcare are still in their early stages. The perceptions of the individual issues (e.g., lack of knowledge), organizational issues (e.g., implementation issues), technological issues (e.g., blockchain model types), and market-related issues (e.g., regulatory concerns) indicate that blockchain-based applications in healthcare continue to be an emerging field. This study has practical implications as understanding these concerns can help developers and healthcare managers identify potential issues in the planning, developing, and implementing blockchain-based HIE systems. Addressing these barriers would support the widespread use of blockchain-based HIEs in different healthcare settings and facilitate interoperability and connectivity in regional and community health information networks.
区块链技术有可能彻底改变公司内部的信息共享方式。许多研究表明，使用基于区块链的平台可以取代医疗机构间健康信息交换（HIE）的现有机制。然而，在医疗保健领域，真正基于区块链的项目却很少。本研究从医生的角度出发，采用定性方法探讨区块链在 HIE 项目中的应用所带来的益处、关注点和障碍。
采用推广卫生服务研究实施行动（PARIHS）框架，帮助我们从根本上理解、现有问题、潜在风险、潜在益处和建议。在六个月内对 38 名医生进行了深入访谈。使用 NVIVO 对数据进行分析和编码，对受访者提到的概念相似的主题进行分类。
共确定了七个主题。主要益处分为三个主题：创新的技术特点、协作生态系统和系统性能。主要关注点和风险分为四个主题：个人、组织、技术和市场相关问题。这些发现可以通过突出 HIE 中对区块链技术的预期关键价值，为知识做出贡献。结果还从重要利益相关者（医生）的角度探讨了在医疗保健中利用区块链的障碍。
结果表明，尽管区块链技术可能带来一些益处（例如创新的技术特点、协作生态系统和系统性能），但其在医疗保健中的应用仍处于早期阶段。个人问题（如缺乏知识）、组织问题（如实施问题）、技术问题（如区块链模型类型）和市场相关问题（如监管问题）的出现表明，区块链在医疗保健中的应用仍然是一个新兴领域。本研究具有实际意义，因为了解这些关注点可以帮助开发人员和医疗保健管理人员在规划、开发和实施基于区块链的 HIE 系统时识别潜在问题。解决这些障碍将有助于在不同医疗保健环境中广泛使用基于区块链的 HIE，并促进区域和社区卫生信息网络的互操作性和连接性。
