Big Data has been ascribed “transformative potential” in healthcare systems, with potential benefits across the entire pathway of care delivery, and affecting all stakeholders (patients, providers, wider society, etc.).

Potential of Big Data

Big Data has been attributed as having “transformative potential” in healthcare systems, with benefits across the entire pathway of care delivery for all stakeholders. Linkage of previously separated data sets and their analysis using appropriate Big Data analytics offer new ways to accelerate research and to identify the right treatment for individual patients (personalised medicine). Access to large data sets gives a more comprehensive picture of patients, allows patient-related outcomes to be measured more accurately, and supports decision-makers in shaping healthcare systems.

Opportunities of Big Data

The opportunities offered by Big Data will only materialise when healthcare systems move beyond the mere collection of large amounts of data. Linkage of previously separated data sets and their analysis using appropriate Big Data analytics offer new ways to accelerate research and to identify the right treatment for individual patients. Access to large data sets that paint a more comprehensive picture of patients allows patient-relevant outcomes to be measured more accurately. If they are of enough quality and/or supported by other findings such as lab data they can support decision-makers in shaping patient focused healthcare systems.