Divergent priorities, convergent goals: semantic analysis of publications and patents in healthcare smart contracts

Serhat Burmaoglu (), Esra Dundar Aravacik () and Arif Soyler ()
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Serhat Burmaoglu: Izmir Katip Çelebi University, Department of Health Management
Esra Dundar Aravacik: Izmir Katip Çelebi University, Department of Health Management
Arif Soyler: Izmir Bakırcay University, Department of Health Management

Scientometrics, 2025, vol. 130, issue 11, No 27, 6579-6612

Abstract: Abstract This study presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of smart contract applications in healthcare across scholarly publications and patents, addressing the growing importance of blockchain technology in healthcare systems. Through a multi-stage computational analysis pipeline, we examined 4156 scholarly publications and 10,204 patents to identify knowledge transfer patterns, keyword evolution, and innovation dynamics. Our findings challenge traditional models of knowledge diffusion by revealing a bidirectional flow of innovation between academic and commercial domains, with technical keywords often appearing in patents years before scholarly exploration (mean lag of − 8.12 years). The analysis demonstrates distinct but complementary conceptual emphases: patents focus primarily on technical implementation mechanisms while publications emphasize governance frameworks, interoperability standards, and ethical considerations. Geographic analysis revealed striking asymmetries, with European institutions dominating scholarly output while the United States holds overwhelming dominance in patent activity. Using advanced semantic analysis through SciBERT embeddings, we identified two distinct clusters within scholarly publications, with application-oriented research representing the largest thematic focus (79.4% of publications).This research contributes to understanding the complex ecosystem of healthcare blockchain innovation and highlights significant opportunities for improved knowledge integration between academic research and commercial development to advance secure, ethical implementations of smart contract technology in healthcare.

Keywords: Smart contracts; Healthcare blockchain; Knowledge transfer; Patent analysis; Bidirectional innovation; SciBERT embeddings (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s11192-025-05457-1

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