The recent pandemic has acted as a catalyst for the growth of the healthcare sector. It has made advancing technology more useful by supporting the capability of understanding and analyzing massive amounts of data. There is no exaggeration in mentioning that Big Data has taken the healthcare industry by storm and helps it improve patient care significantly.
Predictive analytics, health management, and clinical trials are some of the areas where Big Data can generate value for the healthcare sector. It is possible to give patients a personalized experience using the data. However, healthcare organizations need to protect their confidential data by securing the cloud. In this post, we will delve into some key applications of Big Data in healthcare.
Let’s start with the basics.
What is Big Data in Healthcare?
Broadly speaking, Big Data in healthcare refers to the massive health data generated from various sources including EHRs (Electronic Health Records), genomic sequencing, lab reports, pharmaceutical research, medical devices’ outcomes, etc. High volume, high velocity, and high variations are three major characteristics of Big Data in healthcare.
It is always challenging to merge Big Data into conventional databases in the healthcare sector. Though various Big Data Analytics trends are coming as technology evolves, it is still difficult for industry leaders to leverage the potential of healthcare data for transforming their services. Privacy of the patient’s health information, siloed data, and security concerns remain key challenges.
Importance of Big Data in Healthcare
These days, healthcare organizations depend on various data types more than ever. Globally, the healthcare sector has witnessed an explosive growth rate of 878% in health data, per the Dell EMC report. Here, Big Data comes into the picture for handling large, complex data sets to get meaningful insights. Also, early disease detection and pandemic control are other areas in which Big Data can help.
This industry uses data to improve research, employee engagement, and patient care services. Hospitals and large healthcare facilities use it to get a clear and detailed picture of the patient experience. They can reduce treatment costs significantly simply by diagnosing and treating diseases early. Hospital administrators can monitor different KPIs to make timely decisions related to funding and resource allocation with the help of Big Data Analytics.
Finally, Big Data also plays a vital role in implementing healthcare services effectively. Hospitals can launch new services and spread awareness in different areas based on available data.
Major Applications of Big Data in Healthcare
Big Data offers many benefits to the healthcare sector. These benefits include improved diagnosis and personalized patient experience.
Here we mention key applications of Big Data in this sector.
Prevention
One of the top benefits of Big Data is to identify patients who are at high risk for certain diseases. This information is useful for physicians to develop preventive interventions, such as lifestyle changes or medication.
For example, Propeller Health uses a Bluetooth-enabled sensor to track the environmental conditions at sensor locations for people with asthma or COPD. Patients can easily identify triggers that cause asthma attacks in patients by using Big Data and thereby taking preventive measures.
Diagnosis
Another application of Big data is in developing new diagnostic tools and algorithms. This can lead to earlier diagnosis of diseases, which can improve patient outcomes. For example, Apple is working with researchers at Stanford to determine whether the built-in heart sensor in the Apple Watch can detect atrial fibrillation. It is a serious condition that causes the death of more than 100,000 Americans each year.
Treatment
Big data is also useful in personalizing treatment plans for individual patients. This can lead to more effective and efficient treatment with better patient outcomes. The Mayo Clinic uses big data analytics successfully to identify patients with comorbidity so that they can benefit from early interventions at care homes. This has helped patients to reduce the number of emergency department visits year by year.
Cost Reduction
Big data can be used to identify areas to reduce healthcare costs It assists healthcare professionals to identify inefficient processes, unnecessary treatments, and fraud. An Israeli startup MedAware partners with healthcare organizations for a specific tool that supports decision-making. This tool uses big data to find prescription errors proactively.
The use of big data in healthcare is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to revolutionize the way we prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. As big data technology continues to develop, we can expect to see even more innovative ways to use big data to improve patient care and save lives.
Impact of Big Data in Patient Care
Gone are the days when collecting and analyzing big data for medical use was expensive and time-consuming. Thanks to innovative technologies, it is easy to collect data electronically and convert it into an easily readable form. This facility has a significant impact on the healthcare sector as it can open up a world of possibilities for health professionals while strengthening decision-making.
Data-driven healthcare solutions have a significant impact on improving patient care also.
For example, big data can
Empower patients
Patients can now easily access their medical records online, which gives them more control over their medication and health.
Inform providers
This can help providers assess treatment methods faster and more accurately with their outcomes.
Quality services
By streamlining administrative processes and making informed decisions, big data can help improve access to quality health care.
Predict issues earlier
By analyzing large amounts of data, researchers can identify patterns that may lead to disease. This information can be used to develop preventive interventions and improve treatment outcomes.
Wearable devices are also playing a pivotal role in the big data revolution in healthcare. These devices can track a patient’s activity levels, heart rates, sleeping habits, and other biometrics in real time. This data can then be used to provide doctors with more accurate medical information than patient-provided questionnaires alone.
Concluding Remarks
In a nutshell, Big Data is having a significant impact on patient care. It is being used to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. It is also useful to improve the patient experience and make healthcare more efficient. As Big Data technology continues to develop, we can expect to see even more innovative ways to improve patient care and save lives.
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