A scale development study on the necessity and usability of blockchain technology in the health sector

Digital transformation and new technologies enable health services to be delivered more effectively, efficiently and safely. Among these innovative solutions, blockchain technology, based on a distributed ledger structure, stands out. Blockchain has the potential to offer innovative solutions in areas such as protecting the security of data, ensuring the accuracy of information and increasing transparency in healthcare. In this context, this research was carried out by conducting a scale development process in order to evaluate the perceptions of blockchain technology, knowledge levels and views on the applicability of technology in health services of employees working in the field of healthcare information systems. The research was conducted with a sample group of 305 people. A scale was developed for data collection, content validity and construct validity analyses were performed, and reliability was tested with Cronbach Alpha coefficient. As a result of this process, it was determined that the scale consisted of five dimensions. The data obtained were evaluated with descriptive statistics and difference analyses such as t-test and ANOVA, and the relationships between the scale sub-dimensions were examined with correlation analyses. Research findings show that blockchain technology is positively evaluated in terms of data security and process improvement, but integration with existing health systems, legal regulations and infrastructure deficiencies pose challenges in implementation.While participants emphasized that blockchain technology could offer an innovative solution for securely storing and sharing health data, it was also determined that the environmental and organizational dimensions of blockchain are comparatively lower than other dimensions.While emphasising the significant potential of blockchain technology in healthcare, the research also highlights the necessity of modernising infrastructure, resolving regulatory ambiguities, and developing innovative educational programs to bolster the technology's overall feasibility. Furthermore, it was concluded that the developed scale is both valid and reliable, and can be employed to assess the perceptions of professionals working in the field of health information systems regarding blockchain technology. Keywords: Blockchain, Healthcare services, Digital transformation, Scale development