Blockchain technology (BT) is quietly transforming the world, from financial infrastructure, to the internet-of-things, to healthcare applications. With increasing penetration of BT into various areas of our daily lives, the need arises for better awareness and greater knowledge about the capabilities, benefits, risks, and alternatives to distributed ledger applications. It is hoped that current book will be one of the pioneering collections focusing on blockchain implementations in the area of healthcare, with specific aim to present content in an easy-to-understand and readily accessible way for typical end-users of blockchain-based applications. There are important areas within the fabric of modern healthcare that stand to benefit from implementations of BT. These areas include electronic medical records, quality control, patient safety, finance, device tracking, biostamping/biocertification, redundant storage of critical data, health and liability insurance, medication utilization tracking (including opioid and antibiotic misuse), financial transactions, academics/education, asset tokenization, public health and pandemics, healthcare provider credentialing, and many other potential applications. The ultimate goal of the proposed book would be to provide an integrative, easy-to-understand, and comprehensive picture of the current state of blockchain use in healthcare while actively engaging the reader in a forward-looking, exploratory approach toward future developments in this space. To accomplish this goal, an expert panel of contributors has been assembled, featuring scholars from top global universities and think-tanks.

Autorentext

Dr. Stanislaw P. Stawicki is Professor of Surgery and Chair, Department of Research and Innovation at St Luke's University Health Network in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA. A specialist in General Surgery, Acute Care Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care, he co-authored >650 scholarly works, including >25 books. In addition to national and international medical leadership roles, he is a member of numerous editorial boards. His areas of expertise include blockchain technology in healthcare, medical innovation, patient safety, academic leadership, medical education and mentorship, traumatology, critical care, injury prevention, and sonography.