Big Data in health care sectors
Research area
Big data is a field in computer science that deals with the extraction of large amounts of data and information that are complex and considerable to be dealt with traditional data processing applications (Mehta and Pandit, 2018). It vastly deals with capturing of data, analysis of the data as well as visualization and updating of the information in regards to the data privacy of the user (Mehta and Pandit, 2018). For the past several years, Big Data has become a special interest for the public and private healthcare industries due to the presence of significant potential in the field. It can be used to generate as well as store and also analyse data and information with the goals of improving the services provided by these industries (Kuula et al., 2019). In the healthcare sectors, big data can be abundantly used to amass health records of patients as well as medical records and payment records that can help in the conventional health research mechanisms to address the expanding nature and structure of the digital universe of the health industry (Kaur, Sharma and Mittal, 2018). The following research firstly explains the concerned research area in details as well as states the research problems and the question. The research then deals with the methodology of the research as well as alternative approaches that can be followed to enhance the utilisation of Big Data technology in the healthcare sector.
Research problem and research question
Research Question: What are the different ways in which the healthcare sector can leverage Big Data to develop new innovative methods and techniques to enhance itself?
Research problem: The rewards can be considerable for organisations in the healthcare industry that integrate Big Data analytics successfully into their operational as well as clinical processes (Senthilkumar, Rai, Meshram, Gunasekaran and Chandrakumarmangalam, 2018). Higher rates of consumer and staff satisfaction, as well as more performance, has driven visibility, lower costs of care and healthier patients are some of the benefits of utilising Big Data analytics into healthcare organisations. However, there are some challenges which can hinder the development if not addressed positively.
There are several sources of data, and it does not necessarily need to be captured by many healthcare providers comprising of habits of impeccable governance of data (Kaur, Sharma and Mittal, 2018). For many organisations, it is a continuous battle to capture clean, precise, complete as well as accurately formatted data, among which many are not on the winning side of the conflict. Poor and incomplete data can contribute towards issues regarding quality that can plague the healthcare industry forever if not checked properly before usage.
It is necessary for the healthcare providers to regularly cleanse their data as dirty data can derail the projects pertaining to data analytics especially in cases when they try to bring different sources of data together to record operational or clinical aspects within a tad dissimilar format (Senthilkumar, Rai, Meshram, Gunasekaran and Chandrakumarmangalam, 2018). Data cleansing processes require high levels of accuracy as well as integrity to make sure that it does not clean the necessary data along with the dirty data.
Another challenge pertaining to utilisation of Big Data analytics in the healthcare sector is the storage of the data. Data must be stored in such a way that it promises security control as well as access to authorised personnel and regular updates and networking for enhanced efficiency. Storing data is rather expensive and is difficult to maintain without proper knowledge (Manogaran, Thota, Lopez and Sundarasekar, 2017). Although, cloud storage is an option which provides the most secure and efficient form of data storage capabilities even they are prone to security flaws and healthcare providers need to consent them to handle their sensitive information (Manogaran, Thota, Lopez and Sundarasekar, 2017).
Data security is the primary concern for providers of healthcare, particularly after the recent sequence of rapid breaches which are high-profiled for the most part as well as hacking, and episodes pertaining to ransomware attacks (Abraham, Chatterjee and Sims, 2019). From attacks like Phishing and Penetration to planting ransomware within computers mistakenly left in a car, data regarding the healthcare of individuals are subject to an almost unlimited number of vulnerabilities (Abraham, Chatterjee and Sims, 2019).
These are some of the many challenges that are posed by the implementation of Big Data analytics in the healthcare organisations and unless these challenges are addressed suitably, the methodology cannot be implemented into the healthcare environment. Healthcare data of patients and individuals are sensitive information which can be detrimental to society and even an entire economy upon misuse and mishandle.
Research methods
Alternative approach
Conclusion
References