Blockchain technology applied in medicine: a systematic review

Abstract

Objective: Develop an articles review to evaluate the existing evidence on blockchain technology applied in medicine. Methods: The study was of a documentary type, bibliographic design, framed in a systematic review. The harvest of articles was carried out in the Scopus, Web of Sciences, Pro Quest and ScienceDirect databases from January 1, 2018 to July 31, 2023. The descriptors were blockchain, technology and medicine. The PRISMA diagram was prepared considering the inclusion criteria: original articles, with open access; that address the subject and in any language. The search yielded 70 articles, of which 11 formed the sample. Results: The various applications of blockchain technology in medicine were discussed, including its integration with artificial intelligence (AI) for data-centric analysis; regarding the development of traceability systems, however, its greatest applicability is in the registration of medical records of patients, whose application was successful. Despite this, its incipient use in medicine was verified due to the lack of studies in this regard. Conclusions: The application of blockchain technology in medicine is very scarce, despite the potential it has for the registration and safeguarding of medical data, therefore, its study should be deepened.