Enhancing Data Privacy of Medical Data through Encryption and Access Control

Abstract

Electronic health records (EHRs) and the necessity for seamless information sharing across healthcare providers have made medical data management more complicated in the digital age. However, this convenience raises issues about medical data privacy and security. This study addresses the crucial topic of protecting medical data via encryption and access control. This paper proposes an integrated architecture that uses advanced encryption and fine-grained access control to protect medical record data. The study begins by reviewing medical data breaches and privacy breaches and discussing the risks of unauthorized access to personal health data. Homomorphic encryption, differential privacy, and attribute-based encryption are examined for their ability to protect medical data while permitting data operations. The study also introduces access control as a vital medical data security measure. It covers healthcare access control difficulties and provides a role-based and attribute-based paradigm for medical data environments. The concept stresses balancing data accessibility for authorized people with rigorous unauthorized access limitations. To validate the framework, a prototype system is constructed and tested using real medical data. The performance overhead of encryption and access control techniques and the approach's privacy risk mitigation are assessed. The findings show that encryption and access control can protect medical data without affecting system performance. In an increasingly networked healthcare setting, this research contributes to medical data security discussions. This study supports a holistic approach that integrates encryption and access control, revealing its implementation obstacles and possible benefits. As the healthcare sector embraces digitalization, this study can help academics, practitioners, and policymakers protect sensitive medical information.