{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/109658"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/109658","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"MedRec : blockchain for medical data access, permission management and trend analysis","abstract":"Years of heavy regulation and a long-standing focus on compliance have co-opted the ability of the healthcare industry to implement novel data sharing approaches. We now face a critical need for such innovation, as personalization and data science prompt patients to engage in the details of their healthcare and restore agency over their medical data. This thesis proposes MedRec: a novel, decentralized record management system to handle EHRs (Electronic Health Records), using blockchain technology. The system design gives patients a comprehensive, immutable log and access to their medical information across providers and treatment sites. Leveraging unique blockchain properties, MedRec manages authentication, data retrieval, update tracking for existing records, data entry (both for patients and providers) and data sharing. MedRec accomplishes record management without creating any centralized data repositories; a modular system design integrates with providers' existing, local data storage solutions, facilitating interoperable data exchange between data sources and the patients. We incentivize healthcare industry stakeholders (government-funded researchers, public health authorities, etc.) to participate in the network as blockchain \"miners\". This provides them with access to aggregate, anonymized data as mining rewards, in return for sustaining and securing the MedRec network via Proof of Work. We emphasize the flexibility and extensibility of our system components to other dimensions of the healthcare industry and to applications beyond healthcare as well. This thesis describes the MedRec technical design and early-stage prototype, our pilot with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), and an analysis of MedRec's contribution in the context of national healthcare priorities. This work is supported by the MIT Media Lab Consortium.","abstract_html":"Years of heavy regulation and a long-standing focus on compliance have co-opted the ability of the healthcare industry to implement novel data sharing approaches. We now face a critical need for such innovation, as personalization and data science prompt patients to engage in the details of their healthcare and restore agency over their medical data. This thesis proposes MedRec: a novel, decentralized record management system to handle EHRs (Electronic Health Records), using blockchain technology. The system design gives patients a comprehensive, immutable log and access to their medical information across providers and treatment sites. Leveraging unique blockchain properties, MedRec manages authentication, data retrieval, update tracking for existing records, data entry (both for patients and providers) and data sharing. MedRec accomplishes record management without creating any centralized data repositories; a modular system design integrates with providers' existing, local data storage solutions, facilitating interoperable data exchange between data sources and the patients. We incentivize healthcare industry stakeholders (government-funded researchers, public health authorities, etc.) to participate in the network as blockchain "miners". This provides them with access to aggregate, anonymized data as mining rewards, in return for sustaining and securing the MedRec network via Proof of Work. We emphasize the flexibility and extensibility of our system components to other dimensions of the healthcare industry and to applications beyond healthcare as well. This thesis describes the MedRec technical design and early-stage prototype, our pilot with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), and an analysis of MedRec's contribution in the context of national healthcare priorities. This work is supported by the MIT Media Lab Consortium.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Ekblaw, Ariel C. (Ariel Caitlyn)"],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Andrew Lippman."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017","date_published":"2017","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:17Z","subjects":["Program in Media Arts and Sciences ()"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission."],"rights_urls":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/109658","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Andrew Lippman."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.other","label":"Dc Contributor Other","values":["Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Ekblaw, Ariel C. (Ariel Caitlyn)"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2017-06-06T19:23:53Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-06-06T19:23:53Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2017"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Program in Media Arts and Sciences ()"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission."]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/109658"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2017.","Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references (pages 93-97)."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Years of heavy regulation and a long-standing focus on compliance have co-opted the ability of the healthcare industry to implement novel data sharing approaches. We now face a critical need for such innovation, as personalization and data science prompt patients to engage in the details of their healthcare and restore agency over their medical data. This thesis proposes MedRec: a novel, decentralized record management system to handle EHRs (Electronic Health Records), using blockchain technology. The system design gives patients a comprehensive, immutable log and access to their medical information across providers and treatment sites. Leveraging unique blockchain properties, MedRec manages authentication, data retrieval, update tracking for existing records, data entry (both for patients and providers) and data sharing. MedRec accomplishes record management without creating any centralized data repositories; a modular system design integrates with providers' existing, local data storage solutions, facilitating interoperable data exchange between data sources and the patients. We incentivize healthcare industry stakeholders (government-funded researchers, public health authorities, etc.) to participate in the network as blockchain \"miners\". This provides them with access to aggregate, anonymized data as mining rewards, in return for sustaining and securing the MedRec network via Proof of Work. We emphasize the flexibility and extensibility of our system components to other dimensions of the healthcare industry and to applications beyond healthcare as well. This thesis describes the MedRec technical design and early-stage prototype, our pilot with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), and an analysis of MedRec's contribution in the context of national healthcare priorities. This work is supported by the MIT Media Lab Consortium."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["S.M."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["MedRec : blockchain for medical data access, permission management and trend analysis"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Andrew Lippman."],"dc:contributor.department":["Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)"],"dc:contributor.other":["Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)"],"dc:creator":["Ekblaw, Ariel C. (Ariel Caitlyn)"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2017-06-06T19:23:53Z"],"dc:date.available":["2017-06-06T19:23:53Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2017"],"dc:description":["Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2017.","Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references (pages 93-97)."],"dc:description.abstract":["Years of heavy regulation and a long-standing focus on compliance have co-opted the ability of the healthcare industry to implement novel data sharing approaches. We now face a critical need for such innovation, as personalization and data science prompt patients to engage in the details of their healthcare and restore agency over their medical data. This thesis proposes MedRec: a novel, decentralized record management system to handle EHRs (Electronic Health Records), using blockchain technology. The system design gives patients a comprehensive, immutable log and access to their medical information across providers and treatment sites. Leveraging unique blockchain properties, MedRec manages authentication, data retrieval, update tracking for existing records, data entry (both for patients and providers) and data sharing. MedRec accomplishes record management without creating any centralized data repositories; a modular system design integrates with providers' existing, local data storage solutions, facilitating interoperable data exchange between data sources and the patients. We incentivize healthcare industry stakeholders (government-funded researchers, public health authorities, etc.) to participate in the network as blockchain \"miners\". This provides them with access to aggregate, anonymized data as mining rewards, in return for sustaining and securing the MedRec network via Proof of Work. We emphasize the flexibility and extensibility of our system components to other dimensions of the healthcare industry and to applications beyond healthcare as well. This thesis describes the MedRec technical design and early-stage prototype, our pilot with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), and an analysis of MedRec's contribution in the context of national healthcare priorities. This work is supported by the MIT Media Lab Consortium."],"dc:description.degree":["S.M."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/109658"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"dc:rights":["MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission."],"dc:rights.uri":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"dc:subject":["Program in Media Arts and Sciences ()"],"dc:title":["MedRec : blockchain for medical data access, permission management and trend analysis"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:17Z"}