Integration of Internet of Things and Blockchain Technologies in Healthcare: A Bibliometric and Network Analysis

This paper has quantitatively analysed the research trends on the integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Blockchain Technology (BCT) through bibliometric and network analysis and has also expressed how this integration can be leveraged in healthcare. The research methodology consists of a comprehensive search for scholarly publications on IoT and BCT in healthcare, published during 1999-2021 in Scopus and Web of Science (WoS), leading to 325 articles, followed by bibliometric analysis using Biblioshiny and network analysis using VOSviewer. The bibliometric analysis reveals that there is a surge in research papers since 2020, largely attributed to the outbreak of COVID-19. The research in this area is dominated by India and China, followed by the USA, South Korea, and Australia. The research on the integration of IoT and BCT in healthcare is still evolving. This study adds new avenues of knowledge to the existing literature and gives guidance to future researchers exploring the usage of IoT and BCT to revamp healthcare. This is the first such paper that has done a comprehensive analysis of existing literature in this field by considering papers published in both databases: Scopus and WoS, which could act as a starting point for new researchers.