Real-Time-Based Blood Wastage Management Using IoT and Blockchain Technology

The rapid shift in population density increased the need for blood in medical treatments, emphasizing the importance of appropriate blood supply chain management. Most countries have institutions that run centralized blood management information networks. However, these centralized solutions are limited as they do not provide complete blood information. In the healthcare industry, supply chains are crucial, ranging from the prompt delivery of vital medications to patients to the traceability of these medications. To address the limitations of current systems, we recommend the use of Blockchain technology to offer real-time information on donors and patients. The primary advantage of Blockchain is that information is secure and less susceptible to tampering. The blood supply chain uses private Blockchain solutions, ideal for commercial transactions due to the limited number of participants, who are both rapid and trustworthy. This article also explores how the Internet of Things (IoT) can be used to store blood information in QR codes. These codes, attached to blood packets, provide easy access to critical data such as blood group, cell count, etc. The proposed method aims to reduce blood waste, facilitate real-time identification of suitable donors, and improve the distribution of blood units to all needed locations. Ultimately, implementing this approach will be beneficial for both donors and patients.