Cybersecurity in eHealth: A Scoping Review of Current Research and Trends

Healthcare ranks among the most vulnerable sectors to cybersecurity threats, experiencing widespread security incidents and substantial data breach costs. Despite growing global cybersecurity expenditures, health care systems remain distinctively vulnerable. This paper presents a scoping review of research on cybersecurity in eHealth. Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we searched and analyzed literature across four major databases: ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, PubMed, and Web of Science. From an initial 3,146 identified papers, 567 met inclusion criteria and underwent detailed analysis. The analysis iden tifies blockchain as the most researched technical solution, with system and communication protection dominating cybersecurity categories. Geographically, research output has shifted significantly toward India and China. However, the study highlights critical gaps in real-world implemen tations, user-centric perspectives, and evaluation studies. This comprehensive review offers insights for researchers, healthcare professionals, and policy makers to develop targeted, evidence-based cybersecurity strategies that protect sensitive health data and ensure the integrity of digital health systems.