Privacy preservation in blockchain-based healthcare data sharing: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Healthcare data security and privacy
• Blockchain technology applications
• Health informatics

Background:

• Blockchain technology promises enhanced data ownership and interoperability in healthcare.
• Existing surveys lack systematic analysis of privacy-preserving techniques for healthcare data sharing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review blockchain-based privacy-preserving solutions for healthcare data sharing.
• To analyze blockchain details, privacy methods, regulatory compliance, and maturity levels (TRLs).
• To identify patterns and propose a framework for blockchain integration in healthcare.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of blockchain-based privacy-preserving solutions.
• Analysis of blockchain specifics, privacy techniques (e.g., smart contracts, encryption), and regulatory compliance.
• Evaluation of technology maturity using Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).

Main Results:

• Authentication and authorization are most explored, using smart contracts and attribute-based encryption.
• Proxy re-encryption is common for data transfer; privacy-preserving search/verification are underexplored.
• Most solutions are at proof-of-concept (TRL3), with limited prototype validation (TRL4-TRL5).

Conclusions:

• The field of blockchain for healthcare privacy is nascent, with a significant gap between research and deployment.
• Advancement requires improved implementation capacity, clinical data access, and regulatory alignment.
• Clinical validation and real-world testing are crucial for practical adoption of privacy-preserving blockchain solutions.