Big Data, IT, Cloud Computing, Analytics and Healthcare - Essay Example

How Advances in Big Data, IT, Cloud Computing and Analytics Will Impact Healthcare Information and technology has increasingly changed many sectors in the world. One such sector is the healthcare system. Technology advances in cloud computing, IT big data and analytics are examples of sectors in technology that have revolutionized the health care system. Big data is a compilation of data sets that is very big that it is very difficult to handle and process using traditional database and data processing tools. For example, there are very many patient records that it might become too hard to access some of these files unless one is on location. Cloud computing is the use of computer software and hardware over a network normally as a service. This means that in order for someone to use the software and hardware they do not need to have them physically, all they need is access to the network where the respective cloud network is located (Agha, 2012). A good example of cloud computing is where hospitals compile all their information centrally and staff with verified passwords can access the information irrespective of the geographical location. Analytics can be considered the communication and discovery of patterns in data sets. Analytics are normally used in areas where that have a lot of recorded information. Analytic greatly depends and relies on computer programming operations and statics. Analytics can be used in the healthcare system where patient information may be used to predict future trends in diseases and general health of the population. Inefficiencies in Healthcare Healthcare has been curbed by a lot of problems. It is filled with a lot of setbacks and short comings. One of major inefficiencies of the healthcare system is the old filling system. This is where all records including patient records and disease records are stored in the manual hardcopy files. There are no softcopy backups thus making the hard copy files the only files on record. This has proved cumbersome since there are hospital records that date back to almost the 1900s. Finding such a record using the manual filing system is very difficult. As it is known, almost all disease and outbreaks repeat themselves in time. This means that doctors might be unable to identify some old diseases just because a record of the disease in the past cannot be located. Another major inefficiency in healthcare is administration. Administration in the healthcare system is very poor yet a lot of money is used in the administration of all health care system. This is double inefficiency. Administrating healthcare especially in underdeveloped countries is done in a very queer way. This is on the high such that patients record are misplaced and even patient diagnostics are confused with those of other patients. Information in the healthcare industry is handled in a very poor way such that it is often not reliable (McCullough, Parente & Town. 2012). That is why we see doctors and other medical professions using trial and error tactics to diagnose patients. Yet hospitals pay a lot of money to personnel who handle the administration of these hospitals. This in turn contributes to the high cost of healthcare that is passed on to the patient. For example, in nineteen sixty, the United States of America used at least ten percent more in their health care system to pay hospitals , pharmaceuticals and physicians as compared to what was spent by other rich countries. By 1980s, the amount had doubled up to about 20 percent. This shows how the cost of administering health care in the United States of America has been so high The cost of healthcare in the United States of America has been rising since 1960, compared to that of other high income republics (Salehnejad, 2013). This is despite the advancement of technology especially in the United States of America. This can be primarily attributed to the high cost of administration of healthcare since it is passed on to the patients. A survey conducted between the healthcare system in Canada and that in the United states of America in 2010 showed that the major difference in healthcare cost between the two countries was the administration cost (Salehnejad, 2013). It showed that the high cost of administration resulted in the high cost of healthcare in the United States of America. In fact, it survey showed that 44 percent more staff in administration than in Canada (Salehnejad, 2013). Another major inefficiency in healthcare is poor policies both privately and publicly. This means that bad policies are formed and implemented in the private sector and also poor policies are also formed and implement by the government in regards to healthcare. For example, many healthcare approaches are mainly crisis based instead of opportunity. This means that many healthcare policies are designed in such a way that they deal with health issues head on instead of predicting them and fining solutions before the problem arises. The healthcare system is also affected by the problem of communication and coordination. The healthcare industry involves a lot of coordination and communication. This is because healthcare problems are generally universal. This means that different healthcare systems experience the almost the same issues (McCullough, Parente & Town. 2012). Coordination comes about during scientific research, preventing and managing pandemics among others. In short, coordination makes running health care much easier. Communication is also very important because without it coordination is impossible or it can be very costly. Since communication and coordination is essential in healthcare, it needs a lot of money. This has resulted in high cost of coordination and communication. This is because expensive means of communication have been used to relay important information to other professionals in the health care system. This has in turn affected the cost of healthcare as this high cost is then passed to the patient. Inefficiency in healthcare is the presence of a lot of preventable errors in healthcare. This is especially rampant especially during diagnosis and prescription. This is where doctors make avoidable errors that have eventually led to many people losing their lives. This is very unfortunate as many people lose their lives due to avoidable circumstances such as mis-diagnosis. This inefficiency has been cost due to lack of proper technology in administration of healthcare. This is because many hospitals used outdated methods of diagnosing diseases. These methods usually have big margins of error After reviewing all these inefficiencies in the healthcare system then it is evident that something needs to be done. One good solution to these inefficiencies is the use advancement in Big data, cloud computing, information and technology and analytic in the healthcare system. Big Data The use of big data in healthcare is on the rise. Since in the healthcare system there is a lot of data, there is presence of big data. Big data has been used in a way that it is providing new, vital information that has helped in solving a lot of medical cases. For example, raw information from the past is proving vital in reveling information that might help in the fight against Tuberculosis (Grantbu, 2012). This compiled bulk of information when analyzed has shown trends of the disease over the years hence revealing how its resistant strains can be dealt with Another good example of how big data will revolutionize health care is that processes that took years to examine can now take a very short time. For example, decoding genes of human usually took more than ten years. But big data has enabled decoding this gene to take less than a week. This saves both time and money. Data concerning health care has grown over the years. For example, if healthcare data was to be stacked up in form of Digital Versatile Disks (DVD), then by the year 2020 all data will be up to 35 zettabytes, meaning they will stack up high to the point at which they would reach planet Mars (Conger, 2012). However, all of this data is not suitable for computer processing. It needs to be digitized in order for it to be processed analyzed and hence it will be of importance in healthcare. Cloud Computing Cloud computing is gaining fame around the world. If the healthcare industry was to adopt it, then it would revolutionize the healthcare industry. There are various ways on how cloud computing will revolutionize health care. Cloud computing will help in the issue of collaboration (McCullough, Parente & Town. 2012). A good example of how cloud computing will allow for collaboration is when the same health information is needed at two places at the same time, which is often the case in health care. Cloud computing will allow this information to be provided at the two situations where the information is needed at the same time. This is because cloud computing will allow for information about healthcare to be shared and synchronized in real time. Cloud computing will also help in improving the speed at which health care information is made available to professions in healthcare. Cloud computing allows for fast and easy access to information without interruption. This means that information will be easily and speedily accessible by patients, doctors and other professions in health care. This will in turn limit cost such as administrative cost that come bout as a result of the slow accessibility of information in health care (McCullough, Parente & Town. 2012). Cloud based software and tools will also allow for the diagnosis of patient in speedy manner. This is because not all hospitals can access or are able to buy programs that help in diagnosis of the patient. Cloud computing will allow such hospitals to use programs that they do not own in diagnosing their patient. This will help deal with issues such referring of patients to other doctors among others. Cloud computing will also revolutionize healthcare in that it will allow for more mobility. This means that doctors and nurses can go about providing health care services to any part of the world since information about diseases and patients will be readily available. This is because; in cloud computing information and data is stored in a cloud format. This means that information can be accessed from any geographical part of the world as long as there is a connection to the internet. Hence information will no longer be physically stored which limits its access. Cloud computing will also allow for enhanced security and privacy when it comes to information concerning health care. One main reason for this is because cloud computing companies usually higher the best people in the information and technology industry whose main work is to make sure that no an authorized person is able to access information from respective cloud networks (Buntin et al, 2011). One needs verified username and password in order for them to enter any cloud network. Another reason why cloud computing will increase security and privacy in health care is the fact that a clod service provider is required by law to comply with various privacy standards. Among these standard Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which requires for all patient information to be handled with at most security and privacy. Cloud computing will also revolutionize the health care system in that it will result in decreased cost. Health care institutions are spending a lot when it comes to setting up infrastructure and maintenance of hard ware. This has resulted in high administration cost since people are employed to perform these duties. However, cloud computing is a solution to this problem. This is because; data and information will no longer be stored physically at one place at the expense of health care institution. Handling and processing information will left to cloud service providers who will set up and maintain data infrastructure at a reasonable cost hence lowering the cost. Cloud computing will also minimize cost of administration by limiting paper work (Buntin et al, 2011). It will help in what is known as paper cuts thus minimizing cost of administering healthcare Analytics Analytics will also be of advantage to the future of the healthcare system, and they are projected to improve the health care by increasing access of health care and value to tax payers, enabling building of more sustainable and efficient health care system, and finally improving patient care by increasing access to health care. Analytics in health care will also allow for predictive modelling, where trends in the health care industry will in the future be predicted and prevented before they happen. Information Technology Information and technology as much minimizing inefficiencies in health care as well as it promises a good future for the health care industry. Big data and cloud computing generally fall under information and technology. When combined, they will generally make the delivery of health care be very swift and effective. This is due to the factors that have been discussed under cloud computing and big data. However, there are other aspects of technology that will shape the future of the health care system. Technology changes will enhance communication despite very different geographical locations between doctors, nurses, and patients. This is through technologies such as video conferencing (Buntin et al, 2011). This will help in reducing cost especially when it comes to holding conferences and seminars which result in stakeholders in the health care industry incurring a lot of costs. Technologies will also minimizing errors in diagnosis and prescription hence saving a lot of lives that are lost through this. For example, according to the Health Care Information Systems Society, (2013), in Dublin, Ireland St James’s Hospital has come up with a mobile application designed for their hemophilic patients. The application is designed in a way that a patient can monitor their medication dosage at the comfort of their home by scanning bar codes on the medicine giving them details of the expiry date, amount of dosage to use, and recall list. The application also alerts patients if they have been prescribed for the wrong medication or if they have bough different medication from what they have been prescribed. If this was implemented in all hospitals and in all medication, then in the future many lives will be saved. There are also technology advances in other sectors of technology such as biometrics, surgery artificial organs, rehabilitation technology, bio mapping, medical imaging, and medical physics among. Advancements in these areas are also proving to revolutionize healthcare. Although not all of them are currently functional, they are proving to be a success thus a better future for the healthcare industry. Conclusion Implementing cloud computing, big data, analytics among others will not be easy. The health care system will encounter a lot of short comings. An example of such short comings is that they will need to train personnel in the health care industry in handling new technologies such as cloud computing. Good policies will also have to be made to make sure that these changes are implemented in a way that the will work. At first, implementing these ideas will seem very expensive, but in the long run they will prove cheaper and even yield more. Bibliography Agha, L. 2012. The Effects of Health Information Technology on the Costs and Quality of Medical Care. Working paper, Boston University. Athey, S., & S. Stern. 2002. The Impact of Information Technology on Emergency Health Care Outcomes. RAND Journal of Economics 33: 399-432. Billings, B. 2011. 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