MedaCert: Your Partner in Secure and Reliable Medical Certificate Verification
1Form 5, Diocesan Girls' School, Jordan, Kowloon, HKSAR (China)
A Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for IBCOL 2023
Sustainable Development Goals
Keywords
Abstract
Medical certificates are documents attesting to a patient's health status after a medical visit. However, they may be forged for various reasons, such as the lower cost of buying a fake certificate online, to enjoy paid sick leave, or for the convenience of escaping official examination.
To address these issues, Medacert proposes implementing blockchain technology to create a traceable and efficient platform for the issuance and verification of medical certificates. Medacert aims to ensure that any medical certificates issued are verifiable and securely stored, thereby combating the issue of counterfeit and tampered certificates. By standardising the format of reporting, Medacert also improves the efficiency of the verification process and establishes trust among various parties.
Smart contracts enable automatic verification of medical certificates, reducing the need for manual verification and improving efficiency. The security and privacy of patient information are protected by advanced encryption measures. To tackle potential fraudulent or inaccurate data being added to the system, Medacert allows holders to decline the request when confirming certificates. Privacy controls are employed to mitigate the risk of sensitive personal information being visible to malicious users with access to the network. In addition, the system is governed by the Medical Council, acting as a trusted third-party node to ensure authenticity and order are maintained.
The critical success factors include incentives, partnerships, and interoperability. Incentives for patients, medical professionals, hospitals, and clinics include improved efficiency, accuracy, security, and privacy, leading to lower costs and improved patient outcomes. Collaboration with the Hospital Authority is crucial for the platform’s effective operation, and the inclusion of all licensed healthcare providers are key success factors to achieve interoperability and ensure the secure exchange of health information between stakeholders.
Overall, Medacert hopes to provide a better healthcare experience for everyone, benefiting patients, healthcare providers, and various verifiers, while ensuring the security and privacy of patient information.