Towards a New Paradigm of Federated Electronic Health Records in Palestine

Abstract

While efforts are underway to create a sound system of electronic health records in Palestinian health institutions, there remain obstacles and challenges. Given modern day demands on health systems, we propose a federated electronic health system based on the clinical document architecture (CDA) that is compliant within the Palestine context. This architecture also brings a normalized electronic health record and a structure of blockchain to enhance interoperability with scalability, fault tolerance, privacy, and security. The new architecture and technologies will enhance services by allowing health care players, patients, and others to have the opportunity to obtain improved access and control of their health services. This may also serve as a useful model for other low-middle income countries.