Table 5.
Significance of the difference in attitudes toward new methods of managing medical information using blockchain technology among self-employed doctors, employed doctors, and university professors.
| Blockchain technology application | Self-employed doctors, mean (SD) | Employed doctors, mean (SD) | University professors, mean (SD) | P value |
| (1) Unlike traditional methods of medical data management, which bestow complete control over medical information to the hospital, blockchain technology allows a patient to choose the extent to which their medical information is stored, distributed, and managed. | 3.0 (1.9) | 4.0 (1.9) | 4.4 (1.7) | .09 |
| (2) Blockchain technology delivers each aspect of a patient’s medical information to medical doctors. | 3.5 (2.4) | 4.5 (1.9) | 4.8 (1.6) | .10 |
| (3) As blockchain technology renders it impossible for one to hack medical information, it enhances the security of patient medical information. | 4.5 (2.0) | 4.4 (1.8) | 4.5 (1.8) | >.99 |
| (4) Blockchain technology prohibits anyone from revising a medical chart without patient consent once it has been created by a medical doctor. | 3.1 (1.9) | 3.9 (2.1) | 3.5 (1.5) | .42 |
| (5) Blockchain technology allows patients to access information anywhere and at any time. | 3.3 (2.1) | 4.3(1.9) | 4.7 (1.6) | .07 |
| (6) As blockchain technology allows hospitals to exchange medical information, patients do not have to print medical charts on paper, copy imaging scans onto a CD, and submit them to another hospital. | 3.5 (2.4) | 5.2 (1.8) | 5.4 (1.3) | .02a,b |
| (7) As blockchain technology reduces the likelihood of patients being subjected to redundant medical examinations, it lowers health care costs and reduces the time that patients spend at a hospital. | 2.9 (2.4) | 5.0 (1.9) | 5.1 (1.7) | .02a,b |
| (8) Blockchain technology makes it possible for one to use standardized medical big data to enhance the precision and personalization of medical treatments. | 3.8 (2.4) | 4.9 (2.0) | 5.0 (1.9) | .14 |
aMean item score for self-employed doctors < mean item score for employed doctors and university professors.
bValues in italics are significant at the .05 level of significance.