Implementation of Blockchain Technology Could Increase Equity and Transparency in Organ Transplantation: A Narrative Review of an Emergent Tool

Abstract

In the last few years, innovative technology and health care digitalization played a major role in all medical fields and a great effort worldwide to manage this large amount of data, in terms of security and digital privacy has been made by different national health systems. Blockchain technology, a peer-to-peer distributed database without centralized authority, initially applied to Bitcoin protocol, soon gained popularity, thanks to its distributed immutable nature in several non-medical fields. Therefore, the aim of the present review (PROSPERO N° CRD42022316661) is to establish a putative future role of blockchain and distribution ledger technology (DLT) in the organ transplantation field and its role to overcome inequalities. Preoperative assessment of the deceased donor, supranational crossover programs with the international waitlist databases, and reduction of black-market donations and counterfeit drugs are some of the possible applications of DLT, thanks to its distributed, efficient, secure, trackable, and immutable nature to reduce inequalities and discrimination.

Blockchain for Organ Transplantation: A Survey

“…On the other hand, the challenge of the blockchain-based OTP system is primarily related to its difficulties in transforming the centralised approach to information management into a decentralised structure while maintaining the security and privacy of sensitive and personal data. Upon closer inspection, it became evident that the surveys and systematic reviews [15][16][17][18] that have been carried out up to this point have focused more on the conceptual frameworks than the technical components of the articles they have included. From a technical standpoint, it was found that they frequently considered the chain type and blockchain platform.…”

“…Ref. [15] has examined the six studies on blockchain-based organ transplantation in terms of the blockchain platform used and the contributions they provided. Accordingly, it was stated that in addition to the potential benefit of blockchain, there is a need to conduct research on data management systems that can work together with these systems.…”

“…Accordingly, it was stated that in addition to the potential benefit of blockchain, there is a need to conduct research on data management systems that can work together with these systems. The five studies on blockchain-based organ transplantation evaluated by the survey in [16] were examined in terms of the blockchain platform used and the contributions they made, similar to [15]. According to their reviews, in order to create smart contracts, they are of the opinion that the common factors, policies, and guidelines between peers in the network should be well defined in advance.…”

“…Another survey [17] has examined eight studies on blockchain-based organ transplantation. The examined studies were evaluated in terms of the platform used, chain type, and contribution, as in [15,16]. Unlike previous surveys, it lacks structured assessment content.…”