Data science in healthcare: Benefits, challenges and opportunities

Abstract

The advent of digital medical data has brought an exponential increase in information available for each patient, allowing for novel knowledge generation methods to emerge. Tapping into this data brings clinical research and clinical practice closer together, as data generated in ordinary clinical practice can be used towards rapid-learning healthcare systems, continuously improving and personalizing healthcare. In this context, the recent use of Data Science technologies for healthcare is providing mutual benefits to both patients and medical professionals, improving prevention and treatment for several kinds of diseases. However, the adoption and usage of Data Science solutions for healthcare still require social capacity, knowledge and higher acceptance. The goal of this chapter is to provide an overview of needs, opportunities, recommendations and challenges of using (Big) Data Science technologies in the healthcare sector. This contribution is based on a recent whitepaper (http://www.bdva.eu/sites/default/files/Big%20Data%20Technologies%20in%20Healthcare.pdf) provided by the Big Data Value Association (BDVA) (http://www.bdva.eu/), the private counterpart to the EC to implement the BDV PPP (Big Data Value PPP) programme, which focuses on the challenges and impact that (Big) Data Science may have on the entire healthcare chain.