Wu Tzu-Chi, Ho Chien-Ta Bruce
Institute of Technology Management, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, Changhua 500009, Taiwan.
Healthcare (Basel). 2023 Sep 8;11(18):2497. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11182497.
Blockchain technology has revolutionized the healthcare sector, including emergency medicine, by integrating AI, machine learning, and big data, thereby transforming traditional healthcare practices. The increasing utilization and accumulation of personal health data also raises concerns about security and privacy, particularly within emergency medical settings.
Our review focused on articles published in databases such as Web of Science, PubMed, and Medline, discussing the revolutionary impact of blockchain technology within the context of the patient journey through the ED.
A total of 33 publications met our inclusion criteria. The findings emphasize that blockchain technology primarily finds its applications in data sharing and documentation. The pre-hospital and post-discharge applications stand out as distinctive features compared to other disciplines. Among various platforms, Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric emerge as the most frequently utilized options, while Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Authority (PoA) stand out as the most commonly employed consensus algorithms in this emergency care domain. The ED journey map and two scenarios are presented, exemplifying the most distinctive applications of emergency medicine, and illustrating the potential of blockchain. Challenges such as interoperability, scalability, security, access control, and cost could potentially arise in emergency medical contexts, depending on the specific scenarios.
Our study examines the ongoing research on blockchain technology, highlighting its current influence and potential future advancements in optimizing emergency medical services. This approach empowers frontline medical professionals to validate their practices and recognize the transformative potential of blockchain in emergency medical care, ultimately benefiting both patients and healthcare providers.
区块链技术通过整合人工智能、机器学习和大数据，彻底改变了包括急诊医学在内的医疗保健领域，从而改变了传统的医疗保健实践。个人健康数据的使用和积累不断增加，也引发了对安全性和隐私性的担忧，尤其是在急诊医疗环境中。
我们的综述聚焦于发表在科学网、PubMed和Medline等数据库中的文章，讨论区块链技术在患者通过急诊科的就医过程中的变革性影响。
共有33篇出版物符合我们的纳入标准。研究结果强调，区块链技术主要应用于数据共享和文档记录。与其他学科相比，院前和出院后应用是其显著特征。在各种平台中，以太坊和超级账本织物是最常用的选项，而工作量证明（PoW）和授权证明（PoA）是急诊护理领域最常用的共识算法。展示了急诊科就医流程图和两个场景，例证了急诊医学最独特的应用，并说明了区块链的潜力。根据具体场景，在急诊医疗环境中可能会出现诸如互操作性、可扩展性、安全性、访问控制和成本等挑战。
我们的研究审视了关于区块链技术的现有研究，突出了其当前的影响以及在优化急诊医疗服务方面未来可能取得的进展。这种方法使一线医疗专业人员能够验证其做法，并认识到区块链在急诊医疗护理中的变革潜力，最终使患者和医疗服务提供者都受益。
