Secure Data Journey: Moving Health Records Between Blockchains

You have a secret diary with pages that need to be shared between different people. Blockchain technology is like a highly secure diary system that lets you control who sees your pages. When it comes to our health records, this control is vital. We don't want just anyone snooping around our medical history. So, how do we make sure our health data moves safely between different blockchains? Let's look at a method called a "hash lock. " Think of it as a special seal that verifies data is intact as it travels from one place to another. This method was tested using a hepatitis dataset to swap electronic health records (EHRs) between Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric. To add extra security, the method also splits the EHRs into pieces. Some parts are kept on the blockchain, while others are stored in something called the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS). It's like having a safe (IPFS) and a secret vault (blockchain) for different parts of your medical history. Moreover, a secure exchange method called SPAKE is used to manage interactions between two parties. This makes sure that even as the data moves, it stays safe and confidential. This patient-focused approach shows promise. It suggests we can keep our health data secure while also allowing it to move freely between different blockchains. This is crucial for improving healthcare systems and ensuring patient privacy.