Unlocking the potential of data: Toward a secure and privacy-preserving blockchain-based health data governance framework

Abstract

Data have always been at the heart of organizations, fueling decision-making, service delivery, and influencing people's way of life. Organizations work to improve the visibility, reliability, security, and scalability of data. Yet, these attempts are not without challenges. One of the biggest challenges faced by organizations is data confidentiality, since a data breach can affect a person's dignity with severe consequences for the organization itself. Data governance is necessary to mitigate these risks, especially when dealing with sensitive information such as health data. This research paper presents a novel approach to data governance through the development of a blockchain-based framework that aims to unlock the potential of data while minimizing the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access. It involves three critical components: data classification, data segregation, and data access control to ensure proper management, protection, and utilization of data within an organization. While this paper discusses the implementation of our framework within the healthcare ecosystem, it also offers a clear roadmap to facilitate its adoption across any data-driven domain. Our approach demonstrates how data accessibility can be enhanced while safeguarding data privacy and upholding its availability, integrity, and confidentiality.