173 - Big Data in Healthcare

Abstract

“Big Data” is a shorthand way of referring to any data/information system that can only achieve relevant levels of predictive value by using very large data sets. A decade ago Big Data was principally a tool for insurance companies and casinos. It is now defining the future of medicine. Whether it is the digitization of images, unstructured print information, or patient records (which now exist in networked provider systems) or the explosion of digital genomic, metabolomic, or phenotype data, the fundamental reality is that medicine is generating approximately a quintillion bytes of data every day. Within those admittedly disorganized, unstructured, or uncurated data streams are transformative insights into patient care and disease treatment. Big Data systems have the potential to unlock those insights. To achieve this potential, Big Data systems require advanced mining and analytical tools, including artificial intelligence or machine learning algorithms. In this chapter we will describe how Big Data systems work, generically, how they will likely change patient care and the day-to-day life of every physician, and what the problems and limitations inherent in Big Data systems are.