Antecedents of the adoption of blockchain to enhance patients’ health information management in South Africa

Abstract

Background: Currently, the South African public healthcare system is hampered by a lack of effective patient data management. This leads to, amongst other challenges, a lack of transparency in the management of patients’ health information and unsecure medical records. Blockchain, on the other hand, can make healthcare records more secure, easily auditable, and hence more reliable. These advantages, among others, make Blockchain an appealing technology for managing patients’ health information in the South African context.Objectives: The study investigated the antecedents of the adoption of blockchain technology as a tool to improve the management of patients’ health information in the South African public healthcare sector.Method: The four pillars of a health information system (strong leadership, contingency plan, security and privacy, and IT or vendor support) were adopted as the theoretical grounding for the study. Qualitative data were collected through interviews with IT specialists and healthcare professionals working in the public healthcare sector.Results: The study identified 11 antecedents that can be related to the four pillars of a health information system. These antecedents must be addressed for blockchain to contribute meaningfully to enhancing patients’ health information management in South Africa.Conclusion: Although blockchain can contribute meaningfully to addressing health information management challenges in South Africa, contextual factors need to be considered for it to fulfil its promises. It is anticipated that the study findings will help stakeholders in the South African public healthcare sector to make informed decisions in their quest to deploy technology innovations like blockchain.

Blockchain technology for health information management: a case of Zimbabwe

“…Adopting a technology (Blockchain) that can reduce these challenges would be an ideal move for public health institutions in Zimbabwe to ensure patient data security. Blockchain platforms work with standard algorithms and protocols for data encryption and cryptography, allowing for secure and controlled data sharing (Matlebjane and Ndayizigamiye, 2022). In the modern world of online health data, there have been tremendous efforts to breach information, including patient data, clinical trials, insurance information and imaging around the globe (Teli and Masoodi, 2021).…”

“…Lack of funding is also a major obstacle to Blockchain adoption in the public health domain (Matlebjane and Ndayizigamiye, 2022). Many ministries of health in developing countries face the need for more monetary resources to furnish public health institutions with advanced technologies such as blockchain due to limited budgetary allocations from the government .…”

“…Lastly, environmental factors such as lack of political will, poor governance, weak regulations, security and privacy concerns, ecosystem readiness, ecological costs and intellectual property were highlighted by Dowelani et al (2022) as key environmental obstacles hampering the adoption of blockchain in developing countries. Scholars such as Katuwal et al (2020) and Matlebjane and Ndayizigamiye (2022), for instance, mention governance issues and lack of clear regulations as substantial challenges for Blockchain technology adoption in developing countries such as Zimbabwe. Since Blockchain technologies represent a significant shift from traditional data management, clear regulations are crucial for successfully implementing these technologies.…”

“…Since Blockchain technologies represent a significant shift from traditional data management, clear regulations are crucial for successfully implementing these technologies. However, several studies, such as Katuwal et al (2020) and Matlebjane and Ndayizigamiye (2022), have emphasized that numerous nations still need to be ready to adopt blockchain due to a lack of effective regulation. Matlebjane and Ndayizigamiye (2022) also add that Blockchain-based applications have specific features that should be assessed regarding compliance with data governance frameworks, laws and regulations.…”

“…However, several studies, such as Katuwal et al (2020) and Matlebjane and Ndayizigamiye (2022), have emphasized that numerous nations still need to be ready to adopt blockchain due to a lack of effective regulation. Matlebjane and Ndayizigamiye (2022) also add that Blockchain-based applications have specific features that should be assessed regarding compliance with data governance frameworks, laws and regulations. The ambiguity about Blockchain regulation issues in most countries creates hesitation among users and stakeholders, which serves as an obstacle to the widespread adoption of this technology.…”