A fog-based privacy-preserving federated learning system for smart healthcare applications

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the urgency of effective testing strategies had never been more apparent. The fusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) models, particularly within medical imaging (e.g., chest X-rays), holds promise in smart healthcare systems. Deep Learning (DL), a subset of AI, has exhibited prowess in enhancing classification accuracy, a crucial aspect in expediting COVID-19 diagnosis. However, the journey to harness DL’s potential is rife with challenges: notably, the intricate landscape of medical data privacy. Striking a balance between utilizing patient data for insights while upholding privacy is formidable. Federated Learning (FL) emerges as a solution by enabling collaborative model training across decentralized data sources, thus bypassing data centralization and preserving data privacy. This study presents a tailored, collaborative FL architecture for COVID-19 screening via chest X-ray images. Designed to facilitate cooperation among medical institutions, the framework ensures patient data remain localized, eliminating the need for direct data sharing. Addressing imbalanced and non-identically distributed data, the architecture is a robust solution. Implementation entails localized and fog-computing-based FL models. Localized models utilize Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) on institution-specific datasets, while the FL model, refined iteratively, takes precedence in the final classification. Intriguingly, the global FL model, fortified by fog computing, emerges as the frontrunner in classification after weight refinement, surpassing local models. Validation within the COLAB platform gauges the model’s performance through metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. Remarkably, the proposed model excels across these metrics, solidifying its efficacy. This research navigates the confluence of AI, FL, and medical imaging, unveiling insights that could reshape healthcare delivery. The study enriches scientific discourse by addressing data privacy in collaborative learning and carries potential implications for enhanced patient care.