Quantum Encryption of Healthcare Images: Enhancing Security and
Confidentiality in E-Health Systems
Abstract
This paper shows how the Generalized Novel Enhancement Quantum
Representation (GNEQR) and the Novel Enhancement Quantum Representation
(NEQR) can encrypt color and grayscale healthcare images with quantum
algorithms. The proposed method ensures the security of medical media,
which is crucial for safeguarding patient confidentiality and safety,
and is supported by e-health systems. Healthcare facility staff members
send cipher color images to the cloud, which they then receive at a
different facility. By decrypting the content of the images, healthcare
staff can securely assist users. C# and Asp.net core MVC on Visual
Studio 2022 were utilized to implement the proposed encryption approach,
and Azure cloud was used. The e-health system gives the proposed method
a safe and effective way to be used in real life. The proposed algorithm
uses bit-plane scrambling to scramble the original image. Then, a 9D
chaotic map is utilized to generate an image key, which is used to
produce the key image and the scrambled position. A quantum XOR
operation is performed between the scrambled image and the scrambled
position of the key image. The final encrypted image is made by mixing
up the color channels of the image. A similar approach is followed for
grayscale images, but instead of using GNEQR, a Novel Enhancement
Quantum Representation (NEQR) is employed. Additionally, the color
channels are not scrambled in this case. Analyses of numbers and
simulations show that the proposed method is more effective, reliable,
and useful than its classical counterpart. The proposed method can be
used with different types of medical images, such as those from
radiology and pathology, and can be used in telemedicine. It provides a
secure way to transmit medical images without compromising patient
privacy. Overall, the proposed framework for quantum encryption of
healthcare images using GNEQR and NEQR could change how medical images
are sent and protected. It is expected to impact the healthcare industry
significantly and can be applied in various e-health systems.