Read the case study given below and answer ALL the questions given at the
end of the case.
Big Data Trends In Healthcare
Since people are becoming more and more conscious about their health and
well-being, they are investing more in better tools and applications to monitor
their health and are making regular trips to the doctor for check-ups of followups. Because of this, as well as the many, many cases of illnesses and injuries,
there is a constant flow of information when it comes to the healthcare industry.
Since this data pertains to people’s lives, it is highly sensitive and must be
handled with care.
By carefully recording, storing, reading, and analyzing medical data, there have
been many positive developments in the industry. They will continue to happen
if everything is managed well. There is a need to focus heavily on factual data
or evidence to ensure that the patients are being looked after well, receive the
right diagnosis and treatment, and that there are no unnecessary expenses.
Some Major Data Trends in the Industry
A trend is essentially a gradual change or shift in movement, condition, or output,
and when it comes to the health care industry, there have been many data trends,
owing to the developments in technology. Some of them are as follows: –
Patient-Oriented Care: The main objective of the healthcare industry is to
provide adequate healthcare facilities to the patients. Since treatments or
medical attention can prove to be very expensive, many health payors such
as insurance companies or other organizations are making use of technology
to provide value-based and data-driven incentives, which will eventually help
cut down costs. The main features of patient-oriented healthcare are
improving the quality of the healthcare provided so that the desired outcomes
are obtained, reducing the cost of seeking healthcare, and providing support
to reformed paying structures. By focusing primarily on the patient, their
needs, and history, the doctors, hospitals, organizations, and insurance
companies, etc. need to work a way to not only efficiently record data but
also provide the right diagnosis and treatment while ensuring that the prices
are justified and not too high.
Monitor Patients: With the many advancements in the field of technology
and healthcare, patients, as well as doctors, have the means to monitor the
medical situation. Patients are constantly connected to apparatus which
monitor vital signs such as heart rate, blood sugar level, etc. and also alert
the doctors or nurses immediately if there is any change in condition. Even if
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the patients are not admitted to the hospital, they wear or carry devices that
come with sensors and monitor health. For instance, those with diabetes or
asthma can wear such devices, which will ensure that the right medication is
being administered at the right time. Such devices also provide a
comprehensive idea of the patient’s medical condition.
Predictive Analysis and Improving Outcome: The encouraged adoption of
EHR or Electronic Health Records by hospitals and other healthcare
organizations has not only made it easier and more efficient to store medical
data but has also made it much easier to provide the right treatment to
patients. With the vast and varying nature of medical information, there is a
need to efficiently organize and store it, and that is where EHR comes into
the picture. About $30 billion was spent on encouraging the adoption of EHR
and the subsequent sharing of patient information among different healthcare
facilities to ease the process of analyzing the data and providing adequate
treatment. By being able to analyze such data, it has become possible to
diagnose any underlying health issues beforehand, treat them on time, and
also avoid any unnecessary expenditure. Since the signs for illnesses such
as congestive heart failure can be missed by doctors, having a proper record
and health history enables them to catch the issue and treat it accordingly,
without having to spend a lot (on the part of the hospital or the patient).
Besides these, data analysis can also help in avoiding any frauds, unnecessary
costs, or wastage and abuse of funds. Given that the healthcare industry is a
major aspect of life, there are bound to be those that commit any frauds with
respect to their insurance, bills, etc. and also, there is always the possibility of
spending too much on a particular area or case. What data analysis helps with
is avoiding such situations so that the industry can function better and provide
adequate facilities. However, it is also important to keep in mind that recording
and analyzing all the medical data is a tedious task, even with the help of
advanced technology, and there can always be an error or inadequacy, owing to
the different kinds of data available.
[source : https://www.mobifilia.com/big-data-trends-in-healthcare]
Question 1
a. What are the data sharing challenges do you foresee of big data in
healthcare? Explain.