Blockchain technologies to mitigate COVID-19 challenges: A scoping review.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Computer Science
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• Blockchain technology presents numerous applications for mitigating the effects of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
• Existing literature lacks comprehensive reviews on the features of blockchain technologies proposed or implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of proposed or implemented blockchain technologies aimed at addressing COVID-19 challenges.
• To identify and summarize the main features and use cases of blockchain applications in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review was performed following PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines.
• Searches were conducted across 11 bibliographic databases, supplemented by reference list checking.
• Data extraction and narrative summarization were performed independently by two reviewers.

Main Results:

• Nineteen studies out of 225 met the eligibility criteria, identifying 10 blockchain use cases for COVID-19 mitigation, notably contact tracing and immunity passports.
• Public blockchain was the most common type, with Ethereum being the preferred platform and Solidity the primary programming language.
• Key performance metrics like transaction cost, latency, and scalability were inconsistently reported, with many applications not yet mature.

Conclusions:

• Blockchain technology holds significant potential for combating COVID-19, with diverse applications identified.
• Further empirical research is crucial to assess the performance and maturity of these blockchain solutions.
• Governments and policymakers should consider these blockchain applications while acknowledging the need for further development and validation.