hOCBS: A privacy-preserving blockchain framework for healthcare data leveraging an on-chain and off-chain system design

In the context of blockchain technology, off-chain refers to computation or data that is structurally external to the blockchain network. Off-Chain Blockchain Systems (OCBS) enable this information processing and management through distributed software architecture where the blockchain network interacts with off-chain resources. Hence, OCBS are a critical data governance component in the design of enterprise blockchain solutions, resulting in extensive research and development exploring the interplay between on-chain and off-chain storage and computation and efforts to evaluate their performance relative to other information management systems. Key features of OCBS' are their ability to improve scalability, reduce data storage requirements, and enhance data privacy, all extremely critical issues to enable broader blockchain adoption. These OCBS features map well to the needs of the healthcare industry, particularly due to the need to manage various types of medical, consumer, and other health-related data. However, different types of health data are also subject to stringent regulatory, security and legal requirements, a key factor limiting blockchain adoption in the sector. In response, there is a critical need to better align OCBS design features to different types of healthcare data management and their respective governance and privacy regimes. This article first reviews the characteristics of different constructs of OCBS. It then proposes a modular hybrid privacy-preserving framework leveraging off-chain and on-chain blockchain system design applied to three different reference models that illustrate how blockchain can enhance healthcare information management. Through this privacy-preserving framework we hope to liberate healthcare data by enabling sharing, sovereignty and enhanced trust.

Automated summary

Off-Chain Blockchain Systems (OCBS) play a critical role in enterprise blockchain solutions by enhancing scalability, reducing data storage requirements, and enhancing data privacy. However, strict regulatory requirements in the healthcare industry limit blockchain adoption. It is crucial to align OCBS design features with different types of healthcare data management to overcome this challenge.