How big data is changing the face of healthcare

We are living in a world dominated by data and its usage. Compilation, assessment, analysis and the systematic usage of available data to improve services forms the bedrock of many industries today. Data mining and data analysis, as it is called, hugely support the functioning of a large number of industries. Prominent among them are online sellers and retail outlets which examine and analyse every footfall and use the information to improve their performance and service delivery.

With the onset of big data analytics, things have not quite been the same in the field of medicine too. Much like in many other industries, this tool today is being used to revolutionise healthcare, improve delivery, systematise research and achieve better diagnosis.


From aiding medical personnel in research and patient history to helping the patients with immediate diagnosis, through various applications under its ambit, this IT-health sector tie up has been a boon for all stakeholders.

Collecting data and figures from patients and communities, and using analytical tools to make sense of it, find trends in diseases, predict epidemics, highlight racial pre-disposition to diseases and suggest solutions for the same are some areas where big data is changing the face of healthcare.

Here is how big data is changing the face of healthcare: 

Cost reduction 

At the industrial front, big data enabled technology has made life easier for the medical personnel by enabling cost effective methods of testing and diagnosis through online and mobile applications. Its usage is proving to be highly useful in remote patient monitoring which allows medical practitioners keep an assessment tab on their patients without necessarily seeing them every day. Remote monitoring cuts the costs needed for travelling and regular in-clinic visits, saves time and energy both on the part of doctors and patients.

Read More: http://www.business-standard.com/content/b2b-pharma/how-big-data-is-changing-the-face-of-healthcare-116051700824_1.html