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Autonomous nursing professional development framework using blockchain technology
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  • Published: 03 March 2026

Autonomous nursing professional development framework using blockchain technology

  • Chia-Chen Lin  ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4480-73511,
  • Yen-Heng Lin  ORCID: orcid.org/0009-0006-3692-05562 &
  • I.-Chieh Hsu  ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-5309-80703 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

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We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Engineering
  • Health care
  • Mathematics and computing

Abstract

This study presents a blockchain-based enabling autonomous nursing professional development framework, known as BCeANPDF. The framework aims to enhance transparency, security, and professional autonomy in nursing credential management. It is grounded in the principles of competency-based human resource management. Blockchain and smart contract technologies are integrated to support independent recording, verification, and management of professional and non-professional credentials by nurses. At the same time, hospital human resource administrators continue to have the authority to conduct regulatory oversight and ensure compliance. The framework employs a three-layer architecture that includes controller, service, and repository components. These components coordinate access control, data processing, and blockchain-related operations. Seven smart contracts are designed within the framework. They automate credential ownership verification, credential updates, and compliance review processes. This design strengthens data integrity and reduces administrative workload. A prototype was implemented in a private blockchain environment to evaluate system performance. The results demonstrate stable and efficient operation. The average on-chain processing time per credential was 12.3 s. Median query latency ranged from 5 to 9 ms. These findings confirm that the framework achieves scalability and responsiveness comparable to Ethereum, while preserving data privacy and immutability. By combining decentralized trust mechanisms with credential management practices, the BCeANPDF framework offers a practical approach to supporting autonomous professional development. It also facilitates flexible management of the nursing workforce. Overall, the framework contributes to the development of transparent and competency-oriented healthcare institutions without increasing operational complexity.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are synthetic and were created for system performance evaluation. Data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This work is partially supported by funding from National Science and Technology Council under Grant NSTC 113-2410-H-167-012-MY3 and NSTC114-2634-F-005-001-MBK.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan

    Chia-Chen Lin

  2. Prospective Technology of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan

    Yen-Heng Lin

  3. Graduate Institute of Human Resource Management, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua, Taiwan

    I.-Chieh Hsu

Authors
  1. Chia-Chen Lin
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  2. Yen-Heng Lin
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Contributions

Chia-Chen Lin, Yen-Heng Lin, and I-Chieh Hsu contributed to writing and revising the main manuscript. Chia-Chen Lin, Yen-Heng Lin, and I-Chieh Hsu contributed to the development of the scenario and ideas. I-Chieh Hsu provided expertise in human resource management. Yen-Heng Lin carried out the implementation. Chia-Chen Lin and Yen-Heng Lin prepared all figures. Chia-Chen Lin applied for the grant. All authors reviewed the manuscript and contributed to the revision.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chia-Chen Lin.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Not applicable. This study did not involve experiments on or with human participants. No participants were recruited, and no personal data were collected. All evaluation records were synthetic/simulated and generated solely for system performance testing.

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Lin, CC., Lin, YH. & Hsu, IC. Autonomous nursing professional development framework using blockchain technology. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38750-x

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  • Received: 03 November 2025

  • Accepted: 30 January 2026

  • Published: 03 March 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38750-x

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Keywords

  • Nursing resource management
  • Autonomous professional development
  • Blockchain technology
  • Smart contract
  • Adaptive healthcare institution
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