A Review of Blockchain Technology for Secure and Transparent Healthcare Systems

Abstract

The advent of blockchain technology presents trans- formative opportunities for the healthcare sector, characterized by its potential to enhance data security, interoperability, and patient-centric care. This review paper synthesizes current literature on the integration of blockchain within healthcare systems, exploring its capabilities in addressing prevalent challenges such as data breaches, fragmented patient records, and inefficient supply chain management. We identify major benefits in using a comprehensive analysis of different use cases such as EHRs, clinical trials, and pharmaceutical supply chains for improved data integrity, transparency, and operational efficiency. The review will also look at consensus mechanisms, including Proof of Stake (PoS), Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT) and Proof of Authority (PoA), and the primary frameworks: Hyperledger Fabric, Ethereum and VeChain with a view to healthcare use cases. Barriers to implementation discussed in the paper include regulatory concerns, technological complexity, and stakeholder collaboration. This paper aims to guide healthcare practitioners, policymakers, and technologists an overview of leveraging blockchain technology in order to foster a more secure, efficient, and patient- centered healthcare ecosystem by identifying emerging trends and proposing a framework for future research.