Time Until Proof of Credentials Significantly Decreases With the Use of Blockchain Technology and the Document Management System

Abstract

Background and objective Physician credentialing and verification in the medical education setting are challenging for the modern workforce. The credentials verification process may be time-consuming and challenging for participants. Blockchain technology is a potential resource for authenticating records with reduced administrative burden and time spent. This study investigates whether the use of blockchain technology reduces the time until verification of a participant’s credentials. Methods An anonymous letter designation was assigned to 23 medical students. All students enrolled in, and completed, a course designed and run by the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine at Auburn (VCOM) as part of the routine medical education curriculum. At the completion of the training, a credentials certificate was produced, which showed course completion. The anonymous letter designation was utilized in the creation of the certificates. The letter designations were shared with an anonymous investigator. No student names were shared with the investigator. The investigator posed as an employing/credentialing entity and contacted VCOM to record the time required to verify the credentials certificate indicating course completion. The elapsed time until credentials verification was completed for each student in the current system (CS) was recorded. Subsequently, the credentials certificate was minted as a blockchain-based, non-fungible token (NFT) and uploaded to a document software management system. An investigator again posed as an employing/credentialing entity and utilized this system to verify the credentials of the 23 students in the study using the NFT system. The times elapsed until verification of credentials were recorded as the NFT pathway. Data from the NFT pathway and non-NFT pathway were compiled and reviewed. Results Data were normally distributed per the Andersen-Darling Test. A t-test (Welch’s method) was performed. The mean time of 111,214 seconds (30.89 hours or 1.29 days) in the CS varied significantly from the mean time of 14 seconds in the NFT blockchain system (p<0.01). The standard deviation of 56,568 seconds in CS varied significantly from 9.9178 seconds in the NFT blockchain (p<0.01). Conclusions The NFT/blockchain system reduces the mean time until the credential verification is completed and reduces the variance seen in time until credentialing is completed. The NFT/blockchain system may significantly bring down the administrative burden and time spent in the credentialing process.