The Current State of Blockchain Awareness in Healthcare
It might be hard to believe, but a staggering 44% of healthcare organizations across Europe are completely oblivious to something called distributed ledger technology (DLT). That’s right, half of the healthcare professionals out there might as well be living under a rock when it comes to the booming world of blockchain. According to the recent IDC Survey Spotlight, only a meager 12% of surveyed organizations are even aware of how blockchain could potentially impact their operations.
Survey Insights that Raise Eyebrows
Let’s dig into the survey, which sampled a modest 290 healthcare firms. Guess how many of them have actually put blockchain into action? Well, you won’t need an Excel sheet for this one: it’s a paltry 1%! This means practically everyone is just kicking the tires without actually driving. Only 1% has multiple blockchain ideas wandering around without supervision. It’s like having a Ferrari parked in your driveway, and you never even take it out for a spin.
Why Blockchain? The Use Cases That Matter
Now that we’ve established there’s a blockchain education gap broader than a double-decker bus, let’s talk about what blockchain could actually do if anyone decided to pay attention. The report identifies three golden opportunities for blockchain in the realm of healthcare:
- Transaction Agreements: Keeping track of financial transactions more accurately.
- Identity Management: Verifying the identity of patients in a decentralized manner.
- Shared Records Management: Simplifying the exchange of patient records.
Among these, identity management appears to be the one that’s actually making some waves, boasting the highest number of production projects at 2%. They’ve got plans to increase that number by 6% in the next year, which sounds like someone is finally taking the training wheels off.
What’s Happening Globally?
Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, things are heating up. The Data Foundation and Booz Allen Hamilton recently dropped a report assessing blockchain’s viability across various industries, aimed at helping the U.S. government understand where blockchain might fit. They highlighted several blockchain projects, including initiatives spearheaded by the Department of Health and Human Services. It seems the U.S. is curious, while Europe is still trying to remember its passwords.
Shining Examples from the Industry
To add a cherry on top of this blockchain sundae, take Germany-based Boehringer Ingelheim for example. They’ve teamed up with blockchain healthcare platform Solve.Care, diving headfirst into a project designed to facilitate trustworthy data sharing among patients with diabetes. This is the kind of initiative that could make a real difference in how healthcare operates, if only more firms would pull the trigger and get involved.
Conclusion: An Eye-Opener for European Healthcare Firms
As we see the data piling up on one side and creativity bustling on the other, perhaps it’s time for European healthcare firms to take a good hard look at the possibilities of blockchain. Ignorance may be bliss, but in this case, staying in the dark might just be a health hazard.
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