Mutambik Ibrahim, Lee John, Almuqrin Abdullah, Alharbi Zahyah H
Department of Information Science, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 11451, Riyadh 11437, Saudi Arabia.
School of Informatics, The University of Edinburgh, 10 Crichton St., Edinburgh EH8 9AB, UK.
Healthcare (Basel). 2024 Jan 30;12(3):345. doi: 10.3390/healthcare12030345.
A number of recent studies have shown that wastage and inefficiency are a significant problem in all global healthcare systems. One initiative that could radically improve the operational efficiency of health systems is to make a paradigm shift in data ownership-that is, to transition such systems to a patient-centric model of data management by deploying blockchain technology. Such a development would not only make an economic impact, by radically cutting wastage, but would deliver significant social benefits by improving patient outcomes and satisfaction. However, a blockchain-based solution presents considerable challenges. This research seeks to understand the principal factors, which act as barriers to the acceptance of a blockchain-based patient-centric data management infrastructure, in the healthcare systems of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries. The study represents an addition to the current literature by examining the perspectives and views of healthcare professionals and users. This approach is rare within this subject area, and is identified in existing systematic reviews as a research gap: a qualitative investigation of motivations and attitudes among these groups is a critical need. The results of the study identified 12 key barriers to the acceptance of blockchain infrastructures, thereby adding to our understanding of the challenges that need to be overcome in order to benefit from this relatively recent technology. The research is expected to be of use to healthcare authorities in planning a way forward for system improvement, particularly in terms of successfully introducing patient-centric systems.
最近的一些研究表明，浪费和低效是全球所有医疗体系中的一个重大问题。一项能够从根本上提高医疗体系运营效率的举措是在数据所有权方面进行范式转变，即通过部署区块链技术将这些体系转变为以患者为中心的数据管理模式。这样的发展不仅会通过大幅减少浪费产生经济影响，还会通过改善患者治疗效果和满意度带来显著的社会效益。然而，基于区块链的解决方案面临着相当大的挑战。本研究旨在了解在海湾合作委员会（GCC）国家的医疗体系中，哪些主要因素阻碍了基于区块链的以患者为中心的数据管理基础设施的接受。该研究通过考察医疗专业人员和用户的观点和看法，为当前文献增添了内容。这种方法在该主题领域中很少见，并且在现有的系统评价中被确定为一个研究空白：对这些群体的动机和态度进行定性调查是迫切需要的。该研究结果确定了接受区块链基础设施的12个关键障碍，从而增进了我们对为从这项相对较新的技术中获益而需要克服的挑战的理解。预计该研究将有助于医疗当局规划系统改进的前进方向，特别是在成功引入以患者为中心的系统方面。
