Big Data in Healthcare

EHRs can enable advanced analytics and help clinical decision-making by providing enormous data. However, a large proportion of this data is currently unstructured in nature. An unstructured data is the information that does not adhere to a pre-defined model or organizational framework. The reason for this choice may simply be that we can record it in a myriad of formats. Another reason for opting unstructured format is that often the structured input options (drop-down menus, radio buttons, and check boxes) can fall short for capturing data of complex nature. For example, we cannot record the non-standard data regarding a patient's clinical suspicions, socioeconomic data, patient preferences, key lifestyle factors, and other related information in any other way but an unstructured format. It is difficult to group such varied, yet critical, sources of information into an intuitive or unified data format for further analysis using algorithms to understand and leverage the patients care. Nonetheless, the healthcare industry is required to utilize the full potential of these rich streams of information to enhance the patient experience. In the healthcare sector, it could materialize in terms of better management, care and low-cost treatments. We are miles away from realizing the benefits of big data in a meaningful way and harnessing the insights that come from it. In order to achieve these goals, we need to manage and analyze the big data in a systematic manner.