Big data is trending. People talk a lot about the advantages and opportunities of using big data analyses. In the healthcare sector, data is also becoming much more important. What does that mean for us, the patients?
All huge tech-companies, such as Google and Apple with their health apps, are nowadays focusing on the healthcare sector. However, there are bigger projects which the consumer does not know anything about. For instance, Intel recently began co-operating with the Michael J. Fox Foundation to use data obtained from wearables to fight Parkinson’s disease. Similarly, Google is conducting research to detect cancer using nanoparticles, and Philips is introducing, in collaboration with the Radboudumc, a smart plaster which can monitor the personal information (e.g. breathing and heartbeat) continuously. The focus of huge tech-companies to use big data in the healthcare sector shows opportunities to improve healthcare.
Big data provides many opportunities for innovations which have an extreme impact on our lives. However, there is a dark side. Three main problems arise: too high expectations of big data, privacy aspects, and the risk of private monopolies on data and knowledge.
Through the big opportunities of big data, people automatically expect that big data will solve all problems concerning healthcare. However, big data analyses are not a substitute to existing research methods yet. For example, correlations in large datasets might arise, which may not be causal or relevant. To judge the value of these correlations is still tough.
Additionally, it remains unclear to whom the data belong. Should this be the patient himself , the hospital, or the company which analyses the data? Currently, the boundaries are blurred. Some of the data belong to the patient and other data belong to the healthcare. When healthcare really implement big data analyses in their strategy, they have to secure the dataset to avoid data leakages.
Lastly, relating to privacy aspects people do not know which companies provide personally data. With the introduction of consumer-eHealth, more and more data is being uploaded to the cloud. This information may contain sensitive information, for example about measurements of blood pressure, photos of suspicious spots on the skin, and information concerning physical exercise. These data are very interesting from a commercial perspective. However, the question that remains is: who may have access to this sensitive information? Because of the huge market share of companies such as Google, Apple, and Philips, there is a high likelihood that such companies have your personal data.
The extent to which these issues will be problematic in the future remains unkown, but one thing is for sure: big data will have a big impact on healthcare.
How do you think about big data in healthcare?
Hi Martijn, interesting blog you have here! I think it is really fascinating how technology companies are entering the healthcare industry. It looks like the big tech companies really made use of the opportunity, provided by the technology development, to enter the healthcare market. Although I believe that companies will use the data for the right purposes, the lack of government legislation on this topic concerns me.
At this moment, I would not cooperate if they ask me to use my personal data. Just because of the uncertainty. When there is more legislation about this topic I think that the opportunities that big data has to offer can greatly contribute to the healthcare industry.
Hey Martijn, thanks for sharing!
I think that big data can be an important innovation for the healthcare system but that we have to take care about our data. However recently two proffessors of the RaboudMC in Nijmegen created a methodology to share research data about individual patients while securing their privacy (http://www.icthealth.nl/nieuws/nieuwsitem/article/Verily-Radboudumc-en-ParkinsonNet-willen-Parkinson-aanpakken.html). This new ‘PEP-methodology’ (Polymorphic Encryption and Pseudonymisation) is now being tested on Parkinson disease and will hopefully help solving diseases.
Hi Martijn, thank you for sharing your insights about big data in the health care industry. I think it is interesting to see the possibilities that are possible with big data and the internet of things (IoT), because many processes can be automated and consumers can benefit from an increased service. Here is an interesting website you can look in to: https://www.healthcatalyst.com/big-data-in-healthcare-made-simple
Regarding the privacy issue, this has always been a big deal. However with the world changing so rapidly, because of technology and where everybody is connected, the rules about privacy and the way how people care about privacy are blurring and blurring. I think in the near future, privacy does not really excists anymore. But still we have to be aware of the consequences that for example criminals can do with our data and try to protect it. But regarding who, the hospital, the patient or the analyst should own the data, I think it does not really care if patient’s recovery can be improved tremendousely.
As you mentioned before, Big data will have a big impact in the healtcare industry!