Blockchain-Driven Incentive Models for Healthcare Data Sharing: Challenges and Opportunities

The digitization of healthcare demands secure, efficient data sharing to advance clinical research and personalized medicine, yet challenges in privacy, ownership, regulatory compliance, and patient engagement persist. This paper examines blockchain-driven incentive models as a promising solution to these barriers. By systematically reviewing 28 academic studies and analyzing 14 commercial platforms, we bridge the gap between theoretical frameworks and practical implementations. Our synthesis reveals that integrating smart contracts with token-based incentives can enhance patient control, reinforce data integrity, and streamline governance. Nonetheless, issues of scalability and regulatory adherence remain unresolved. We identify critical gaps in current approaches and propose future research directions to optimize blockchain-based incentive mechanisms for healthcare data sharing.