A Blockchain Framework for Ensuring Medical Data Security in Internet of Medical Things

ABSTRACT The rapid evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to the growth of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), encompassing interconnected medical devices, wearable sensors, and healthcare systems. IoMT extends the capabilities of IoT into the healthcare sector, representing a promising technology for the future of healthcare. The underlying technology has transformed the healthcare landscape by continuously collecting patient data in real time and providing a remote monitoring and diagnostic system. However, IoMT introduces significant challenges in data security, privacy, and system reliability due to centralized data storage models, which can create a single point of failure and raise concerns about privacy and security. To address these challenges, this research proposes a blockchain‐based framework to enhance data security and privacy by decentralizing data storage and managing device authentication using smart contracts. Given the sensitive nature of medical data and the potential repercussions of security breaches, each medical device has a unique digital identity represented by a blockchain‐based smart contract, supporting the multi‐device mapping required for managing multiple diseases in healthcare diagnosis and treatment. This approach enhances healthcare security and efficiency. A proof‐of‐work mechanism ensures secure transaction validation and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed framework significantly improves data integrity and security while optimizing system performance, as measured by gas consumption and latency. The assessment demonstrates the feasibility of employing blockchain technology to enhance the security and privacy of the IoMT healthcare system, providing a robust solution to existing security challenges and protecting patient data.