Key features of blockchain technologies for facilitating medical research
| Transparency of transactions and records | Patients, review boards, funders and other stakeholders have full overview of consent and trial status; easily auditable; accountability through visibility; may contribute to trust and efficiency; errors can be seen by all. |
| Pseudonomity via public cryptographic identifiers | High degree of control on privacy; level of privacy can be modulated; concerns about trial or personal conduct can be registered with high degree of privacy. |
| Sequential timestamping | Proof that consent was obtained before trial inclusion; proof of adherence to protocol; potential for greater patient engagement and consent due to higher trial integrity. |
| Decentralised storage of data | Adapt consent and prosent to decentralised nature of data generation. |
| Smart contracts | Conditioning of trial progression on consent; automated release of data (prevention of publication bias and knowledge silos), automate aspects of data analysis; reconsent triggered when protocol is changed; automatic warning if abnormally high levels of severe side effects are found; automatic financial or other remuneration of data subjects. |
| Smart contracts for secondary research | Data analysis in statistical plan can be carried out automatically; benefit sharing can be automated. |