SovereignRx: An Electronic Prescription System Based on High Privacy, Blockchain, and Self-Sovereign Identity

This work provides a comprehensive review and critical analysis of blockchain-based electronic medical prescription systems, with a focus on the Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) paradigm. The comparative analysis will look at major implementations, covering features such as identification methods, data storage techniques, privacy measures, access controls, and interoperability. Risks due to the permanence of data on a blockchain and possible improvements in computing in terms of scalability and speed are presented, along with a discussion on stronger data protection measures. We introduce “SovereignRx”, a novel system that integrates SSI and blockchain technologies to address privacy concerns in healthcare prescriptions. SovereignRx uses Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) for party identification and uses distributed nodes that reduce the maintenance costs between healthcare entities. The proposed architecture, based on Hyperledger projects (Indy, Aries, and Fabric), supports secure data transportation, tracing of dispensation, and interoperability based on the FHIR standard. It utilizes data minimization, selective disclosure and biometric authentication to enable the protection of prescription information, with dispensation control and audit functionalities. Furthermore, challenges of decentralized identity adoption are addressed, along with future improvements in the usability of systems for digital health care.