Blockchain-Enabled Digital Twin Architectures for Smart Hospital Infrastructures

Abstract

Blockchain-enabled digital twin architectures are increasingly recognized as foundational to the development of smart hospital infrastructures that demand secure, interoperable, and intelligent healthcare systems. This chapter per the authors examines the conceptual and technical integration of blockchain technologies with digital twins to support trusted data exchange, real-time clinical modeling, and decentralized coordination across hospital ecosystems. The purpose is to articulate how distributed ledgers enhance data integrity, provenance, and access control, while digital twins enable continuous virtual representations of patients, medical devices, and hospital operations. The chapter synthesizes architectural frameworks, application scenarios, and system-level design principles, highlighting implications for clinical decision support, operational optimization, and regulatory compliance. Emerging challenges, including scalability, interoperability standards, and ethical governance, are also discussed to frame future research and deployment pathways.