Medical Devices Digital Threads and their Supply-Chain Management on Blockchain

Blockchain technology is defined as a decentralized, distributed ledger recording the origin of a digital asset and all of its updates without the need of any governing authority. In Supply-Chain Management, Blockchain can be used very effectively, leading to a more open and reliable supply chain. In recent years, different companies have begun to use blockchain to build blockchain-based supply chain solutions. Blockchain has been shown to help provide improved transparency across the supply chain. This research focuses on the supply chain management of medical devices and supplies using blockchain technology. These devices are manufactured by the authorized device manufacturers and are supplied to the different healthcare institutions on their demand. This entire process becomes vulnerable as there is no track of individual product once it gets shipped till it gets used. Traceability of medical devices in this scenario is hardly efficient and not trustworthy. To address this issue, the paper presents a blockchain-based solution to maintain the supply chain of medical devices. The solution provides a distributed environment that can track various medical treatments from production to use. The finished product is stored in the blockchain through its digital thread. Required details are added from time to time which records the entire virtual life-cycle of the medical device forming the digital thread. This digital thread adds traceability to the existing supply chain. Keeping track of devices also helps in returning the expired devices to the manufacturer for its recycling. This blockchain-based solution is mainly composed of two phases. Blockchain-based solution design, this involves the design of the blockchain network architecture, which constitutes the required smart contract. This phase is implemented using the secure network of Hyperledger Fabric (HLF). The next phase includes the deployment of the generated network over the Kubernetes to make the system scalable and more available. To demonstrate and evaluate the performance matrix, a prototype solution of the designed platform is implemented and deployed on the Kubernetes. Finally, this research concludes with the benefits and shortcomings of the solution with future scope to make this platform perform better in all aspects.