Secure authentication of lectronic prescriptions

A method of authenticating electronic prescriptions, the method comprising the steps of:

• acquiring an electronic prescription for authentication, the electronic prescription comprising a transaction number, a first pseudonym indicating a first participant's registration at a first privacy officer, and a signature of the first participant using a transaction pseudonym;
• generating the transaction pseudonym based on the first pseudonym, the transaction number and a registration key corresponding to the first pseudonym and being shared between the first participant and a second privacy officer;
• and
• verifying the authenticity of the registration and signature of the first participant on the basis of the registration key and the transaction pseudonym.

A computer program product to be loaded by a computer arrangement, comprising instructions for authenticating electronic prescriptions, the computer arrangement comprising a processing unit and a memory, the computer program product, after being loaded, enabling said processing unit to carry out the following tasks:

• acquiring an electronic prescription for authentication, the electronic prescription comprising at least a transaction number, a first pseudonym, and a signature of a first participant using a transaction pseudonym, the first pseudonym indicating the first participant's registration at a first privacy officer;
• generating the transaction pseudonym based on the first pseudonym, the transaction number and a registration key corresponding to the first pseudonym and being shared between the first participant and a second privacy officer;
• and
• verifying the authenticity of the registration and signature of the first participant on the basis of the registration key and the transaction pseudonym.

A method of generating a transaction pseudonym for secure authentication, the method comprising the steps of:

• registering a participant at a first privacy officer so that the participant's identity can be uniquely defined and determined by a first pseudonym;
• registering the participant at a second privacy officer so that the participant's identity can be uniquely determined by mapping a registration key shared between the second privacy officer and the participant to the first pseudonym;
• and
• generating a transaction pseudonym for the participant on the basis of the first pseudonym, the registration key and a transaction number related to a transaction.