Blockchain-based secure digital twin framework for the smart healthy city

As urban environments become increasingly complex and populated, traditional healthcare systems face significant challenges in terms of scalability, data security, and user-centered healthcare. The deployment of digital twins (DTs) in smart cities offers a transformative solution by enhancing data integrity, ensuring privacy, and enabling real-time health monitoring and decision-making. By identifying critical research gaps in current health management systems, particularly focusing on issues of data security, system integration, and scalability, this study first explores the integration of DT and blockchain technologies to enhance healthcare services and management in smart healthy cities by developing a novel three-level hierarchical model—individual homes, community healthcare, and city-wide health systems. The study outlines how these technologies collectively address challenges in data integration, security, personalized healthcare delivery, services distribution and facilities management decision-making. In the framework of DT for the smart healthy city (DTSHC), each level is explored in detail, from personal health monitoring in smart homes to resource allocation in community centers to strategic planning at the city level, illustrating how DTs facilitate comprehensive health management. It then introduces a structured conceptual framework for a blockchain-secured DTSHC that operates at multiple levels of healthcare provision. A case study on smart healthcare for elderly populations is examined to demonstrate the application and benefits of this multilevel approach. The integration of blockchain technology is emphasized for its role in securing data transactions across the network, providing an immutable ledger that enhances trust and compliance with healthcare regulations. The study emphasizes the scalable framework of the DT system, which adapts to diverse urban health needs, facilitating effective and scalable solutions based on the integration strategies and technology stack. The strategic deployment of these innovative systems is set to shape the future of healthcare in smart cities, making them more responsive and resilient to the evolving needs of their diverse populations.