Blockchain Technology in Healthcare: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Computer Science
• Information Technology

Background:

• Blockchain technology, initially developed for Bitcoin, is increasingly explored for non-financial applications.
• The healthcare sector is a key area with significant potential for blockchain integration.
• Rapid growth in blockchain research necessitates systematic reviews to keep pace with advancements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a systematic review of current research on blockchain applications in healthcare.
• To identify, extract, and analyze relevant publications using PRISMA guidelines and a systematic mapping study.
• To provide an overview of the state-of-the-art, limitations, and future research directions.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines.
• Systematic mapping study process involving a defined search protocol.
• Searches conducted across four scientific databases to identify relevant publications.

Main Results:

• Numerous studies propose diverse use cases for blockchain in healthcare.
• A significant gap exists between proposed use cases and their adequate prototype implementations.
• Limited studies have characterized the effectiveness of these proposed blockchain healthcare applications.

Conclusions:

• While blockchain technology shows promise for healthcare, practical implementation and effectiveness evaluation are lacking.
• Further research is crucial to understand, characterize, and assess the utility of blockchain in the healthcare domain.
• The current state indicates a need for more empirical evidence and robust prototype development.