Smarter, safer healthcare with blockchain technology

The consortium of 56 organizations aims to transform Portugal into a European leader in this technology, helping the country to be more digital, green and resilient. Its motto is decentralization, since blockchain, by definition, is decentralized, and most projects are based outside Lisbon.

INEGI's team will contribute to the area that brings together health and well-being through the integration of artificial intelligence models to help with integrated diagnosis, in the digital platform for global medical assistance, in a project in partnership with BioGHP and Atlantic Care.

Medical data will be integrated into blockchain technology, creating an easy-to-access platform prepared for artificial intelligence, where all clinical, imaging and genetic data are stored in a decentralized and democratized way. The ambition is to reinforce the security of clinical data when shared between patients and healthcare professionals.

As Nilza Ramião, responsible for the project at INEGI, explains, "the secure and ubiquitous storage of clinical and genetic data, along with integration with artificial intelligence models, is one of the biggest challenges in healthcare”.

Blockchain technology, as an advanced database system, grants ownership of medical information to the patient. "This approach will provide a greater degree of security in the management of medical records, directly impacting the diagnosis and therapeutic guidance of patients who frequently consult several health professionals”, she adds.

The «BLOCKCHAIN.PT - Decentralizing Portugal with Blockchain» agenda is financed by the European Union through Next Generation EU and the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), within the scope of the Capitalization and Business Innovation operational program.