Blockchain Technology In Healthcare: A Systematic Review of Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions

Blockchain technology is rapidly transforming the healthcare sector by addressing critical challenges such as data security, interoperability, and patient empowerment. This systematic literature review, conducted using the PRISMA 2020 methodology, synthesises findings from 25 peer-reviewed studies to examine the applications, challenges, and future directions of blockchain in healthcare. Key application areas include electronic health records (EHRs), supply chain management, privacy frameworks, and public health surveillance, highlighting blockchain's potential to improve data integrity, transparency, and patient-centred care. While blockchain offers significant benefits - such as improved data security, operational efficiency, and patient trust - its adoption faces persistent barriers. These include technical complexity, high implementation costs, and fragmented regulatory environments, particularly in resource-constrained settings. Quantitative analysis shows that the majority of studies are theoretical or review-based, followed by case studies, with a small proportion of experimental research. This distribution highlights the early stage of blockchain research in healthcare, and emphasises the urgent need for empirical and experimental investigations to validate practical applications. By synthesising the diverse findings, this study provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of blockchain in healthcare, identifying both opportunities and challenges. It concludes by highlighting the need for harmonised regulations, stakeholder engagement and integration with emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) in order to realise the full potential of blockchain in creating safe, efficient and patient-centred healthcare systems.