Inspiration
The inspiration for MediChain came from the pressing need for secure, accessible, and transparent medical records management. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, many people have lost trust in the healthcare system and feel that their control over their own body is being taken away from them The current healthcare system often suffers from fragmented data, leading to inefficiencies and potential risks for patients. We envisioned a solution where patients and healthcare providers could interact seamlessly, with data integrity and privacy at the forefront while providing the control over their information back to the patients
What it does
MediChain is a decentralized platform for managing medical records using blockchain technology. It allows patients to securely store their medical data and grants access to healthcare providers based on permissions set by the patient. Healthcare providers can view or update medical records, such as allergies, with the patient’s consent, ensuring data privacy and integrity. MediChain also logs access to records, providing a transparent audit trail
How we built it
MediChain was developed using a combination of blockchain and web development tools:
Smart Contracts: Written in Solidity, these contracts manage patient records and enforce access control. They were deployed and tested on a local Ethereum blockchain using Truffle, Remix, Metamask and Ganache.
Frontend: The user interface was built with React, enabling patients and healthcare providers to interact with the blockchain in a user-friendly way.
Backend: Express.js was used to handle API calls and communicate with the blockchain, while Mongoose was used for managing off-chain data.
Security: Patient login information and wallet address is encrypted and json web token is used to add an extra layer of security and automatically logout the user if inactive over a certain period of time.
Challenges we ran into
The main challenge that we had was Integrating the smart contract functions with frontend and finding a suitable platform to deploy and run the application.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Successful Integration: Seamlessly integrating the blockchain backend with the React frontend to provide a cohesive user experience.
Secure Data Management: Implementing a secure and transparent system for managing sensitive medical records, with a focus on patient privacy and data integrity.
Robust Access Control: Developing a flexible access control mechanism that allows patients to manage who can view or update their records.
What we learned
This project provided invaluable insights into the power of blockchain technology in healthcare. We have gained knowledge about the inner workings of blockchain, gained a deep understanding of smart contract development, particularly in implementing access control systems. Additionally, I learned about the challenges of integrating blockchain with web technologies and how to address them effectively.
What's next for MediChain: Empowering Healthcare with BlockChain
The next step for MediChain is the development of a dedicated blockchain platform that fulfills the gas requirements for all the functions without costing the users any real money.
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