Visualization Techniques in Healthcare Applications: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Nowadays, healthcare management systems are adopting various techniques that facilitate the achievement of the goals of evidence-based medical practice. This review explores different visualization techniques and their importance in healthcare contexts. We performed a thorough search on databases such as the SLD portal, PubMed, and Google Scholar to obtain relevant studies. We selected recent articles published between 2018 and 2021 on visualization techniques in healthcare. The field of healthcare generates massive volumes of data that require visualization techniques to make them easily comprehensible and to guide their efficient presentation. Visualization in healthcare involves the effective presentation of information through graphics, images, and videos. Big data systems handle a massive amount of information and require visualization techniques to present it in a comprehensible manner. The significance of visualization techniques in healthcare is not confined to healthcare practitioners and healthcare management but encompasses all the stakeholders; patients can benefit from the visualization of his/her data for a better understanding of their condition. In short, visualization techniques have demonstrated their benefits in the healthcare sector and can be extended to the payer and the patient. They have also had a positive impact on the quality of the healthcare provided as well as patient safety.