Blockchain for digital healthcare: Case studies and adoption challenges

Background The healthcare industry is significantly transforming toward digital and smart healthcare. Blockchain, as an emerging distributed collaborative paradigm, offers a promising solution for ensuring trustworthiness and high availability of services in this evolving healthcare. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive survey of blockchain-based applications in smart healthcare. Methods We first present real-world blockchain use cases in smart healthcare and related fields, outlining the motivations for this study. Next, we review cutting-edge blockchain applications in various domains, including health data sharing, public health management, drug supply chains, insurance claims, and the Internet of Medical Things. A detailed analysis of several blockchain-based healthcare data sharing scenarios is included. Results The findings illustrate the diverse applications of blockchain technology in enhancing healthcare systems, along with a detailed examination of challenges related to technical implementation and adoption. Conclusion We discuss the challenges facing blockchain integration in smart healthcare and propose potential solutions to guide future research in this area.