Big Data in Healthcare - Essay Example

Affiliation

Big data and data mining aspects

Big data is a large amount of information that requires digitalization, consolidation, standardization, and analysis. One significant aspect shared by both big data and data mining is value. Processed big data is eventually translated into efficient processes. However, measuring the value of data is a boundless process that requires endless options and approaches. Thus big data become valuable if it fosters a positive outcome and improves decision-making capabilities. Present techniques of big data allow organizations to acquire vast volumes of data, analyze the data in a quick pace, and acquire accurate information. In such a context, procedures such as digitalization, consolidation, standardization, and big data have created value to the health care industry as a whole. Big data has created value by creating efficiency on how a provider is measured and created a platform for rewarded for enhancing a patient's good health. Big data also equate the efficiency of health care service providers since they are graded on the value of care they provide. The quality is often acquired from biometric data (BMI, A1c, blood pressure, etc.), as well as through the task of completing the annual preventive and repetitive care for their patient population.

In addition, government-sponsored health plans are renowned for using big data to report Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS). The data allow concerned stakeholders to understand the drawbacks and opportunities to enhance their coordination with relevant service providers. On the other hand, the overall value of big data is evident in healthcare facilities because it allows them to understand arrears that need advancement of new researches, reduced costs, and appropriate cures. More so, big data has created value for health care providers since it has helped them make decisions based on analyzed data and not experiences.

Data mining

Data mining is a form of knowledge discovery acquired from data or a process of identifying and uncovering common themes and patterns in big data. Data mining creates value in health care because it allows health systems to utilize data and analytics in order to analytically detect inefficiencies and implement best practices that can enhance care services and, at the same time, reduce cost. Thus, data mining is valuable since it allows health practitioners to compare and contrast the symptoms of diverse patients, causes and courses of treatment of the diseases, and outline the most effective course of action for different illnesses or conditions (Hunter & Hose, 2015). Data mining further allows healthcare practitioners to identify medical patterns and claims by clinicians, physicians, laboratory personnel, or others. Data mining also creates value by identifying wrong referrals, insurance fraud, and fraudulent medical claims.

Therefore, the shift from traditional pen and paper techniques to electronic health records has enhanced the use of patient data in the healthcare industry (Kankanhalli et al, 2016). The embracement of electronic health records has granted healthcare professionals to dispense similar knowledge across other departments of healthcare, which in turn, has greatly minimized medical errors and improved patient care and satisfaction. The other evident value portrayed by data mining minimization of costs. Due to efficiency and transparency.

Continuity plan

Business continuity plan is a document that highlights the continuity of business operation during an unplanned service disruption. Ideally, a business continuity plan is more comprehensive than a disaster recovery plan since it incorporates contingencies for human resource and business partners, assets, and business processes. Thus, unlike the disaster recovery plan, a continuity plan contains every aspect of the business that might be affected in cases where a company shuts down (Bulson & Bulson, 2018). Similar to other companies, clinical practice is threatened by disasters and unpredictable emergencies that halt operations and service provisions. In this regard, it is vital for clinical facilities to get prepared by addressing the unique needs of their actions. Such preparedness is essential because it will curb consequences derived from disaster disruption. There are diverse programs or tools that can be utilized in healthcare facilities to control unplanned service operations. In this regard, if I was bestowed with the responsibility of managing a health care facility, I would opt for Hospital Command Center (HCC) as the appropriate tool. Hospital Command Center (HCC) is the best option because it is structured in a manner that creates a demand structure that can be scaled to fit the needs of the incident, eliminate copying and follow a reasonable span of control (Bulson & Bulson, 2018). More so, Hospital Command Center (HCC) is effective because it integrates people from different departments of the hospital and external agencies to fit into the command structure. Additionally, the tool bears the capability of identifying needs and developing strategies that will help in achieving the objectives of the plan.

Its effectiveness is supported by the fact that it utilizes advanced predictive analytic technology as well as artificial intelligence techniques to monitor and target a wide ray of data. Among the monitored data is the information of incoming patients, bed availability, patient discharges, and other vital logistics in a hospital. The utilization of Hospital Command Center (HCC) tool allows hospitals to understand and address their unique needs and manage popping issues. Therefore, Hospital Command Center (HCC) is a recommendable tool that helps in equipping members of various departments with real-time and predictive information regarding every vital aspect that could trigger risk (Bulson & Bulson, 2018). Hospital Command Center (HCC) will also empower each department to take action to prevent as well as resolve bottlenecks, minimize patient waiting time, and coordinate promptly with the other service providers and other vital aspects that will help in mitigating risks. For this reason, I would opt for Hospital Command Center (HCC) due to its adverse benefits in responding to and managing incidences.

An article entailing use of informatics in healthcare

The article authored by six authors, namely Bostrom AC, Schafer P, Dontje K, Pohl JM, Nagelkerk J, and Cavanagh SJ is a vital piece of information since it discusses the use of electronic health record as a toll of health informatics. The article generally looks at electronic health records as a tool that is widely used in health care informatics. An electronic health record (HER) is a process of recording the medical details in digital form. Electronic health records are advantageous when compared with the traditional paper recording (Ozair & Fouzia, 2015). First, it minimizes misinformation by granting eligible records that guarantee correct prescription, doses and treatment procedure. More so, connecting electronic health records reduce adverse drug reactions because the pharmacy attendant will analyze the details of the patient such as age and prescription of drugs to the right patient. Electronic health records also ensure eased and fast data transfer in a cheap manner.

Despite the outlined benefits, electronic health records trigger adverse drawbacks that include lack of privacy, security, and other related aspects. Patients' data is easily shared among health care departments, and insurance companies will require these data to function as designed. Therefore, though authorized users can control access to health information, the protection of confidentiality is not sufficient. In addition, authorizing other users to access health information breaches the security of the patient (Bostrom et al, 2006). Further, health facilities should ensure that patents data is protected from viruses and intrusion software. Additionally, the concerned personnel should carry out random audits regularly in order to comply with hospital policy of data protection.

In this regard, electronic health records as an informatics tool is a viable method of educating the public as well as physicians. First, the technological tool helps inform the public that every health facility they visit records and stores their information. The storage of data helps the physician to analyze the patient's ailment and draw out the best measures to improve their wellbeing (Bostrom et al, 2006). More so, it helps educate the public about their rights that include the right to privacy and protection from leaked information. Electronic health record as a technological tool also educates the nurses about a wide variety of community aspects. For instance, the data collecting technique will allow them to understand the recurring ailments, highly recorded diseases, age brackets of the patients, probable causes of the ailment, and the best approach to minimize conditions within a specified region or community. For this reason, I find electronic health records a technological tool that is highly educational to both the public and the physicians.