Open Access

ARTICLE

Attribute-Based Encryption for Secure Access Control in Personal Health Records

Dakshnamoorthy Manivannan^*

Department of Computer Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA

* Corresponding Author: Dakshnamoorthy Manivannan. Email:

Computer Systems Science and Engineering 2025, 49, 533-555. https://doi.org/10.32604/csse.2025.072267

Received 23 August 2025; Accepted 29 October 2025; Issue published 08 December 2025

Abstract

Attribute-based Encryption (ABE) enhances the confidentiality of Electronic Health Records (EHR) (also known as Personal Health Records (PHR)) by binding access rights not to individual identities, but to user attribute sets such as roles, specialties, or certifications. This data-centric cryptographic paradigm enables highly fine-grained, policy-driven access control, minimizing the need for identity management and supporting scalable multi-user scenarios. This paper presents a comprehensive and critical survey of ABE schemes developed specifically for EHR/PHR systems over the past decade. It explores the evolution of these schemes, analyzing their design principles, strengths, limitations, and the level of granularity they offer in access control. The review also evaluates the security guarantees, efficiency, and practical applicability of these schemes in real-world healthcare environments. Furthermore, the paper outlines the current state of ABE as a mechanism for safeguarding EHR data and managing user access, while also identifying the key challenges that remain. Open issues such as scalability, revocation mechanisms, policy updates, and interoperability are discussed in detail, providing valuable insights for researchers and practitioners aiming to advance the secure management of health information systems.

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Keywords

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