Discover the comprehensive roadmap that's reshaping how we secure patient data, conduct clinical research, and manage healthcare institutions.
The new BHTY issue explores the transformative potential of blockchain technology across multiple healthcare domains, from digital transformation to patient sovereignty,
offering healthcare professionals and researchers the insights they need to navigate this technological revolution.
Article Spotlight
The Self-Sovereign Patient as a Cornerstone of Healthcare 4.0
Tomer Jordi Chaffer, MSc , Joe Littlejohn, MD, Arun Nadarasa,
MRPharmS, Claudia Lamschtein, MD
In Healthcare 4.0, we are witnessing a fundamental shift from provider-centric systems to patient-centric models, where individuals, empowered by technologies such as blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI), assume the role of the Self-Sovereign Patient, exercising control over their health data and care journey. These technologies enable new forms of data
ownership, interoperability, and personalized care, building on the structured reliability of legacy systems. However, significant challenges remain. Tensions between blockchain immutability and regulatory rights such as data erasure, the unresolved question of digital inheritance, and ethical concerns surrounding consent, monetization, and health equity must all be addressed. In addition, institutional barriers such as clinical integration, data governance, and uneven access to digital
infrastructure pose risks of deepening existing disparities. AI agents, when responsibly deployed, offer promising pathways to augment care delivery and alleviate workforce burdens. Realizing this vision requires coordinated action across clinical, technical, legal, and ethical domains to design trustworthy, privacy-preserving systems that enhance transparency and accountability.
Implications For Healthcare
Professionals
For healthcare professionals, Healthcare 4.0 requires adapting to patients as self-sovereign agents, managing data responsibly within new governance frameworks, and navigating complex ethical and legal challenges around consent, erasure, and inheritance. Clinicians must integrate emerging technologies like AI into workflows to support—not replace—clinical judgment, while also advocating for equitable access to
digital infrastructure to prevent widening disparities.
Read the full open access article at DOI: https://doi.org/10.30953/bhty.v8.414
