Walmart Awarded a Patent System for Storing Medical Records on a Blockchain

Big-box retailer Walmart has received a patent for a system that is developed to store the medical history of a patient on a blockchain database. The data can then be accessed during an emergency when a patient is unable to communicate. Emergency-specific information is only stored on the blockchain to ensure privacy.

According to the Walmart patent titled “Obtaining a Medical Record Stored on a Blockchain from a Wearable Device,” the system consists of three critical devices. One of them includes a wearable device which acts as the local storage medium for the blockchain database. The second is a biometric scanner which is used to get the patient’s biometric signature. The third is a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) scanner which is used to scan the wearable device. In the patent, Walmart suggests that the wearable device should be a bracelet.

In the event of an emergency, the Walmart patent sees first responders scanning the patient’s wearable device using the RFID scanner. They will then use an encrypted key including a public key linked with the particular patient to whom they are treating.

A biometric feature of the patient has to be scanned to decrypt the encrypted private key. The patient’s medical history can be accessed from the blockchain database once decrypted.

A patient’s medical data can also be shared with other healthcare entities including paramedics, hospitals, emergency rooms or important healthcare personnel.

In the recent past, other blockchain patents have been given to Walmart including one created to manage energy demand on an electrical grid.