According to the PwC survey, 91% of surveyed people have used video virtual care and are likely to do it again, and 66% of them would participate in remote clinical trials.
Therefore, society is getting used to the presence of technologies in everyday life and is learning how to benefit from them. On the other side, the medical facilities should have all the necessary software at their disposal to get the most out of the gathered healthcare databases.
The digital transformation of the healthcare industry results in enhanced performance of medical facilities and better patient experience.
Over the past year, organizations have acquired the latest technologies to support their patients virtually and provide real-life expertise.
As a result, technical devices and software gather volumes of healthcare data that companies can use for various purposes. Thus, big data analytics in healthcare is essential for the industry.
What Is Big Data?
Gartner defines “big data” as “high-volume, high-velocity and/or high-variety information assets that demand cost-effective, innovative forms of information processing that enable enhanced insight, decision making, and process automation”.
Big data in healthcare is a term that defines big quantities of information regarding the processes in a certain healthcare facility.
These technologies collect various patients’ records and help to manage hospital performance, as previously it was challenging to analyze high and complex volumes of the information.
Big data analytics in healthcare is driving significant changes in the industry. Proper data analysis will lead to valuable insights vital for healthcare function improvements, develop cutting-edge solutions, and overcome industry inefficiencies.
Types of Healthcare Data
Healthcare data collection and appraisal are divided into many different categories. Big data analytics in healthcare often uses most of the following types of healthcare data. That is why they are a very important element of this industry.
Administrative Data
When providing various medical and clinical services, medical institutions and organizations may collect information about the most frequently used and the most profitable services for a particular organization/institution.
Usually, such information is collected from each patient separately based on appointments, registration in certain programs, and more. Such administrative data may consist of the frequency and duration of visits.
With this information, healthcare organizations can more effectively allocate their resources and understand the specific needs of people. That's why healthcare ERP software become more and more popular in this industry.
Electronic Health Records
Electronic health records (EHRs) contain all information about a person's medical history. That also includes their previous illnesses, treatment, and treatment results.
This healthcare data is created and kept up to date by doctors and other staff. This type of big data in healthcare helps patients heal faster. Healthcare providers can use this big data analytics in healthcare to exchange information so that everyone has an understanding of the patient's needs.
Clinical Data
There are certain healthcare facilities, such as nursing homes, that are required to provide standardized healthcare data.
This data is used by various medical institutions to understand how to properly allocate resources between different institutions. Big data analytics in healthcare also provides an assessment of the performance of a facility.
Insurance Claims Data
Various healthcare organizations can study big data analytics in healthcare to understand the types of services that patients are looking for.
This information can be used in a variety of ways, for instance, to identify the best and the most cost-effective ways to treat a particular health condition.
Patient Surveys
Medical institutions also conduct surveys of their patients to find out what health care services they were satisfied with and what services they didn’t like.
This big data analytics in healthcare can provide physicians and administrators with opportunities to improve their work processes.
From now on, medical organizations have wide access to big data in healthcare. They can view and analyze patient data from mobile health programs. It is vital to improve the surveillance of chronic diseases.
Benefits of Big Data in Healthcare
Here is how big data in healthcare can help hospitals to cope with all these data types more effectively and improve their daily tasks and treatment outcomes.
Improves Patient Healthcare
The vast amount of knowledge and information that has been gained from the interaction of big data and healthcare allows various healthcare providers to gain deeper knowledge and clinical understanding.
Data sets in healthcare help improve patient care. Everything is explained by the fact that with the help of healthcare databases, doctors can prescribe effective treatment, as well as make more accurate clinical decisions, additionally eliminate any ambiguity.
With big data in healthcare, the industry is moving closer to improving patient outcomes as data is used to determine which methods are most effective for patients.
Predicts Patients at Higher Risk Efficiently
With aggregate data in healthcare, you can easily identify the segment of patients in a particular region or city that are at higher risk for diseases. It also provides early intervention tips to protect patients.
This kind of prediction is also very effective for describing certain chronic diseases.
Easy Patient Diagnostics with EHRs
This is one of the most common applications for data sets in healthcare. When each patient has their electronic health records (EHRs), efficient patient diagnosis can be easily achieved.
This data includes medical history, patient allergies, a treatment plan of previous illnesses and diagnostics, and many other details.
Doctors can easily access patient files and add updated information about illness or treatment plan details to them. In addition, with this system, you can notify people about an appointment with a doctor.
Ensures to Reduce Overall Healthcare Costs
Healthcare providers who are using aggregate data in healthcare can identify patterns that lead to a better and deeper understanding of the patient's health and body.
As a result, it will lead to cost savings and resources optimization, because funds will not be spent on unnecessary services or hospitalization.
These data can also indicate clinicians how to better and more effectively treat patients, in some cases to fewer hospitalizations or readmissions. That helps to reduce treatment costs not only for medical institutions but also for patients.
Moreover, with the help of the interaction of big data and healthcare, it is possible to estimate the individual costs of patients for treatment, helping to greatly increase the efficiency of healthcare, through detailed treatment planning.
Delivers Greater Patient Insights
By analyzing big data in healthcare, you can better understand which categories of the population are at greater risk to suffer from various diseases. It also allows to quickly take appropriate preventive measures.
Interestingly, such data can be used to inform and educate patients to take responsibility for their well-being. What's more, combining clinical data into one big data helps improve the effectiveness of patient treatment plans, delivering better outcomes for patients.
Big Data Use Cases in Healthcare
There are many use cases of big data and healthcare. It can help healthcare institutions make financial resources planning more effective, conduct research easily, and even find new ways of treating diseases. Now, let’s take a look at the most successful big data use cases in healthcare.
Big Data and EHRs
Electronic health records (EHRs) are one of the most important use cases for big data in healthcare. The use of the EHR is governed by law and HIPAA standards. Through the use of EHRs, it can multiply efficiency and improve coordination of care, as well as reduce health care costs.
This is because duplication of tests and prescriptions between doctors and providers can be avoided. Another equally important aspect that can lead to more targeted therapy is predictive modeling.
This method is based on the analysis of data from other patients with similar diseases, genetic factors, and lifestyles.
Based on information from real-life clinical appointments, physicians and other healthcare professionals can find connections between different diseases and improve therapies thanks to big data in healthcare.
Real-Time Alerts
Real-time alerts are another important use case of big data analytics in healthcare. Such warnings can prevent the occurrence of various acute diseases in patients.
For example, a joint project by IBM and OhioHealth, which uses healthcare data analytics, installed sensors that measured handwashing practices at a hospital in the United States.
The sensors recorded each time the hand washing machine was used and then relayed this information for reporting and research. As a result of the experiment, it was revealed that the number of people who washed their hands increased by as much as 20%.
Predictive Analytics
Another use case is predictive healthcare data analytics. For example, hospitals use data sets in healthcare to predict admissions rates. The system operates with data that has been accumulated over 10 years.
This includes all hospitalization records for the past 10 years. It helps to predict the number of patients expected by day and hour using time series analysis techniques. One of the biggest benefits of this use of big data in healthcare is more efficient resource allocation and better patient treatment outcomes.
Research for Cost-Effective Treatment
Another healthcare sector that is getting tremendous value from healthcare databases is Pharma. Here healthcare data analytics is used to explore the most cost-effective drugs. Many drug companies are conducting various studies to find the most effective and cost-effective treatments for chronic diseases.
Conclusion
The digital transformation of the industries is going to accelerate in the near future. Thus, it is crucial to keep up with the latest technology trends and use them to enhance the performance of the organizations.
Big data analytics in healthcare bring valuable insights that change the way hospitals deliver their services to patients, improve their functionality, and develop new solutions that can bring benefits in the future.
Companies related to the healthcare industry should consider the advantages of big data in healthcare and make the most of them.
Technologies help us gather valuable data that can be analyzed and used to optimize service delivery, increase patient engagement, improve the industry’s supply chain, etc.
If you want to utilize the power of big data in healthcare to take your organization to a new level, reach out to Intellectsoft.
We have vast experience implementing big data solutions in the healthcare niche and would be glad to work with you on your project so don’t hesitate to contact us!
