The Benefits of Big Data Analytics in the Healthcare Sector

Abstract

The benefits of big data analytics in the healthcare sector are assumed to be substantial, and early proponents have been very enthusiastic (Chen, Chiang, & Storey, 2012), but little research has been carried out to confirm just what those benefits are, and to whom they accrue (Bollier, 2010). This chapter presents an overview of existing literature that demonstrates quantifiable, measurable benefits of big data analytics, confirmed by researchers across a variety of healthcare disciplines. The chapter examines aspects of clinical operations in healthcare including Cost Effectiveness Research (CER), Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDS), Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM), Personalized Medicine (PM), as well as several public health initiatives. This examination is in the context of searching for the benefits described resulting from the deployment of big data analytics. Results indicate the principle benefits are delivered in terms of improved outcomes for patients and lower costs for healthcare providers.

A Review Paper on Remote Monitoring System for Application of Emergency Medical Services

“…Medical analytics helps identify characteristic patterns or trends based on the collected data. Big data medical analytics in health platforms [21,12] provides meaningful insights to practitioners that help identify suitable diagnoses. Medical data analysis can also identify variations in medical patterns or predict the possibility and probability of imminent danger.…”

Identifying and prioritizing critical factors for promoting the implementation and usage of big data in healthcare

“…National healthcare expenditure is largely increasing every year in most OECD countries, and has even exceeded 16% of the US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2015 (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2015). Big data is reported to provide lower costs through reduction of unnecessary medical treatment and effective operation of medical organizations (Groves et al, 2013; Darrel et al, 2014; Raghupathi and Raghupathi, 2014). The Centre for Economics and Business Research (2012) projected that the utilization of big data in the United Kingdom would contribute £14.4 billion over the years 2012–17 through cost savings and service innovations.…”

“…Many studies on big data in healthcare have focused on the benefits and opportunities at a national or institutional level (e.g., Groves et al, 2013; Darrel et al, 2014; Raghupathi and Raghupathi, 2014). Grove et al (2013) in the McKinsey Global Institute analyzed the impact of big data on the healthcare ecosystem.…”

“…The convergence of IT and healthcare has become a direct driver of the growth of bio and medical data analysis, such as health screening data, genome analysis data, clinical data, and data from surgical robots. Big data in healthcare not only means a vast amount of data, but also stresses the importance of data aggregation, processing, analysis, and application in fields with the potential for disease prevention, patient care, and medical education (Darrel et al, 2014; Braunstein, 2015). Big data in healthcare is also expected to reduce national medical costs, increase the operational efficiency of medical institutions, and improve medical services for patients (Groves et al, 2013; Song and Ryu, 2015).…”

“…Some studies have dealt with the potential benefits of big data in healthcare to national health systems or medical organizations (e.g., Groves et al, 2013; Darrel et al, 2014; Raghupathi and Raghupathi, 2014). Other studies have investigated the technological aspects (e.g., Kuo et al, 2014; Vithiatharan, 2014; Braunstein, 2015; Huang et al, 2015), the required capabilities (e.g., Wang et al, 2015b), and government policies (e.g., Kim et al, 2013; Heitmueller et al, 2014).…”