In St. Augustine, a Floridian city, there exists a fountain of youth. This attraction, more tourist trap than proven remedy, captures the human infatuation with longer life and youthful looks. There have been recent rapid increases in lifespan within ten generations, consistent with environmental factors, rather than genetic selection, such as innovations in medical technology, such as sanitation, vaccines, and early detection protocols. A steadily increasing life expectancy places increased demand on the workforce to provide housing and healthcare for dependents, and products that can extend quality, rather than quantity of life, will rise in popularity. To provide for the needs of this population, an efficient and effective medical system is necessary, in order to reduce costs for families and maintain comfort for older individuals. Blockchain may provide an essential tool to deliver this standard of care, by providing more secure patient records, checking medicine interactions for dosing, and increasing food safety. Based on solutions provided by blockchain consultants these things helped many people.
Secure patient records protect the privacy of citizens and reinforce their trust in healthcare. Currently, the elderly may regard medical authorities and their associated technology with suspicion, so proving their reliability is paramount to a favorable public reception. Electronic healthcare records are more secure, and allow patients to transfer institution to institution with relative ease. Companies that employ this technology will foster stronger relationships with those they serve and will be preferred by an aging population. Medicalchain is one such company, and they boast doctor-patient transparency and place control back in the hands of the consumer. This strengthens HIPAA laws and increases trust in the system. Therefore, the increased privacy and transparency associated with blockchain use for recording medical information will encourage the growing elderly population to seek the assistance they need to live long, productive lives.
Mis-prescribed drugs, another barrier to trustworthy healthcare, are not only dangerous to patients, they also reduce their willingness to follow future medical protocols. Blockchain technology can be employed to check drug quantities over time, reducing the danger of accidental overdoses. An additional application employs the technology to ensure drug interactions are synergistic and to achieve desired results more effectively. This further reinforces public trust in prescriptions and the authorities associated, in addition to directly reducing the risks of prescription medications. It can also be used to reduce counterfeiting, using a barcode that immediately alerts others to the danger. By avoiding imitation products, the purity, and therefore safety, of the supply can be assured. Blockchain’s role in medication monitoring will save lives by increasing the inclination to follow doctor’s recommendations and preventing poorly matched or faked products from being administered.
Blockchain’s applications in food safety include tracing tainted food, which serves to reduce injuries and fatalities associated with food poisoning, an especially dangerous condition for those with weakened immune systems. Just as prescription drugs can be monitored and this information made available to all members, insistences of food poisoning can be traced to an origin and reported, reducing the frequency of food-borne illnesses. Breakouts occur around 900 times a year, and currently are a logistical nightmare, so reducing the resources needed to handle each could save hundreds of lives. Food purity, in addition to drug tracking, demonstrates blockchain’s lifesaving abilities.
Blockchain technology can increase the quality and quantity of life for a changing global population by protecting patient privacy, and by tracking prescriptions and food-borne illness outbreaks. This technology’s ability to bolster the world against future challenges render it an important tool for development, and increasingly so. While a fountain of youth may elude human reason, a close substitute, in advanced medicine, has been developed by human knowledge.
