Exploring Blockchain as a Security Framework for IoT in Healthcare: A Systematic Literature Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59247/jahir.v2i2.290Keywords:
Blockchain, Security, IoT, Healthcare, ReviewAbstract
This systematic literature review explores the use of blockchain technology to improve the security of communication between IoT devices in the healthcare sector. The integration of IoT in healthcare has revolutionized patient data management but introduced security challenges. Blockchain, as a decentralized and immutable ledger, offers a potential solution by providing a secure method of data storage and transmission. This review analyzed 62 relevant studies published in the last five years using the PRISMA methodology. The main contributions of blockchain include improved data security, privacy, and data integrity, with decentralization and cryptographic techniques ensuring patient data remains secure and accessible only to authorized entities. Challenges of blockchain implementation include interoperability, data storage efficiency, and the need for strong cryptographic algorithms. Proposed solutions include the development of a specialized blockchain framework for healthcare, the integration of advanced encryption methods, and the use of distributed ledger technology to manage electronic medical records. Further research is needed to develop more efficient and secure blockchain solutions in healthcare applications, including improved interoperability, encryption algorithms, and real-world case studies. Although challenges remain, blockchain has great potential to improve the communication security of IoT devices in the healthcare sector.
References
N. Tariq, A. Qamar, M. Asim, and F. A. Khan, “Blockchain and Smart Healthcare Security: A Survey.” May 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.procs.2020.07.089.
X. Yang, S. Nazir, H. U. Khan, M. Shafiq, and N. Mukhtar, “Parallel Computing for Efficient and Intelligent Industrial Internet of Health Things: An Overview.” May 2021. doi: 10.1155/2021/6636898.
H. W. S. Z. C. G. W. S. W. C. Z. L. Y. F. S. W. Guoyan, “Security and Privacy in the Medical Internet of Things: A Review.” May 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/scn/2018/5978636/
W. Iqbal, H. Abbas, M. Daneshmand, B. Rauf, and Y. A. Bangash, “An In-Depth Analysis of IoT Security Requirements, Challenges, and Their Countermeasures via Software-Defined Security.” May 2020. doi: 10.1109/jiot.2020.2997651.
O. Delgado-Mohatar, R. Tolosana, J. Fiérrez, and A. Morales, “Blockchain in the Internet of Things: Architectures and Implementation.” May 2020. doi: 10.1109/compsac48688.2020.0-131.
X. Peng, X. Zhang, X. Wang, H. Li, J. Xu, and Z. Zhao, “Multi-Chain Collaboration-Based Information Management and Control for the Rice Supply Chain.” May 2022. doi: 10.3390/agriculture12050689.
Z. Ma, L. Wang, W. Xiaochang, Z. Wang, and W. Zhao, “Blockchain-Enabled Decentralized Trust Management and Secure Usage Control of IoT Big Data.” May 2020. doi: 10.1109/jiot.2019.2960526.
Y. Zhang, S. Kasahara, Y. Shen, X. Jiang, and J. Wan, “Smart contract-based access control for the internet of things,” IEEE Internet Things J, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 1594–1605, Apr. 2019, doi: 10.1109/JIOT.2018.2847705.
U. Jafar, M. J. A. Aziz, and Z. Shukur, “Blockchain for Electronic Voting System—Review and Open Research Challenges.” May 2021. doi: 10.3390/s21175874.
B. M. R. Philippe, “Blockchain technology for improving clinical research quality - Trials.” May 2017. [Online]. Available: https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13063-017-2035-z
J. Gong, Y. Mei, X. Feng, H. Hong, Y. Sun, and Z. Sun, “A data privacy protection scheme for Internet of things based on blockchain.” May 2020. doi: 10.1002/ett.4010.
T. Xu, Z. Fu, M. Yu, J. Wang, H. Liu, and T. Qiu, “Blockchain Based Data Protection Framework for IoT in Untrusted Storage.” May 2021. doi: 10.1109/cscwd49262.2021.9437831.
X. Peng, X. Zhang, X. Wang, H. Li, J. Xu, and Z. Zhao, “Construction of rice supply chain supervision model driven by blockchain smart contract.” May 2022. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-25559-7.
H. Echchaoui, B. Roumaissa, and R. Boudour, “A Proposal of Blockchain and NFC-Based Electronic Voting System.” May 2023. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-21216-1_7.
F. K. Nishi et al., “Electronic Healthcare Data Record Security Using Blockchain and Smart Contract.” May 2022. doi: 10.1155/2022/7299185.
C. W. M. N. L. L. M. Sean, “Blockchain Compliance by Design: Regulatory Considerations for Blockchain in Clinical Research.” May 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbloc.2019.00018/full
M. J. Page et al., “The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews,” BMJ, p. n71, Mar. 2021, doi: 10.1136/bmj.n71.
K. Hutchings, R. Bainbridge, K. Bodle, and A. Miller, “Determinants of Attraction, Retention and Completion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Degree Research Students: A Systematic Review to Inform Future Research Directions,” Res High Educ, vol. 60, no. 2, pp. 245–272, Mar. 2019, doi: 10.1007/s11162-018-9511-5.
F. Jamil, S. Ahmad, N. Iqbal, and D.-H. Kim, “Towards a Remote Monitoring of Patient Vital Signs Based on IoT-Based Blockchain Integrity Management Platforms in Smart Hospitals,” Sensors, vol. 20, no. 8, p. 2195, 2020, doi: 10.3390/S20082195.
E. M. Abou-Nassar, A. M. Iliyasu, P. El-Kafrawy, O.-Y. Song, A. K. Bashir, and A. A. A. El-Latif, “DITrust Chain: Towards Blockchain-Based Trust Models for Sustainable Healthcare IoT Systems,” IEEE Access, vol. 8, pp. 111223–111238, 2020, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2999468.
A. Yazdinejad, G. Srivastava, R. M. Parizi, A. Dehghantanha, K.-K. R. Choo, and M. Aledhari, “Decentralized Authentication of Distributed Patients in Hospital Networks Using Blockchain,” IEEE J Biomed Health Inform, vol. 24, no. 8, pp. 2146–2156, 2020, doi: 10.1109/JBHI.2020.2969648.
“Permissioned Blockchain and Deep Learning for Secure and Efficient Data Sharing in Industrial Healthcare Systems,” IEEE Trans Industr Inform, vol. 18, no. 11, pp. 8065–8073, 2022, doi: 10.1109/tii.2022.3161631.
B. S. Egala, A. K. Pradhan, V. Badarla, and S. P. Mohanty, “Fortified-Chain: A Blockchain-Based Framework for Security and Privacy-Assured Internet of Medical Things with Effective Access Control,” IEEE Internet Things J, vol. 8, no. 14, pp. 11717–11731, 2021, doi: 10.1109/JIOT.2021.3058946.
A. Tomar, N. Gupta, D. Rani, and S. Tripathi, “Blockchain-assisted authenticated key agreement scheme for IoT-based healthcare system,” Internet of Things, vol. 23, p. 100849, Oct. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.iot.2023.100849.
R. Ramani, A. Rosline Mary, S. Edwin Raja, and D. Arun Shunmugam, “Optimized data management and secured federated learning in the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) with blockchain technology,” Biomed Signal Process Control, vol. 93, p. 106213, Jul. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.bspc.2024.106213.
M. Pundlik, D. Sukheja, S. Nagini, and K. Choudary, “Innovating Healthcare IoT with a Secure Blockchain Consensus Algorithm based on Verifiable Random Ranking,” Procedia Comput Sci, vol. 230, pp. 264–274, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.procs.2023.12.082.
A. Xiang, H. Gao, Y. Tian, L. Wang, and J. Xiong, “Attribute-based key management for patient-centric and trusted data access in blockchain-enabled IoMT,” Computer Networks, vol. 246, p. 110425, Jun. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.comnet.2024.110425.
K. Mansoor, M. Afzal, W. Iqbal, Y. Abbas, S. Mussiraliyeva, and A. Chehri, “PQCAIE: Post quantum cryptographic authentication scheme for IoT-based e-health systems,” Internet of Things, p. 101228, May 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.iot.2024.101228.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Lutviana, Iis Setiawan Mangkunegara, Hamzah M. Marhoon

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
All articles published in the JAHIR Journal are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license. This license grants the following permissions and obligations:
1. Permitted Uses:
- Sharing – You may copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
- Adaptation – You may remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, including commercial use.
2. Conditions of Use:
- Attribution – You must give appropriate credit to the original author(s), provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in a way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- ShareAlike – If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- No Additional Restrictions – You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
3. Disclaimer:
- The JAHIR Journal and the authors are not responsible for any modifications, interpretations, or derivative works made by third parties using the published content.
- This license does not affect the ownership of copyrights, and authors retain full rights to their work.
For further details, please refer to the official Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.



