Big Data for Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

The implementation of Big Data Analytics (BDA) in healthcare has significant contribution in ameliorating patient care with effective cost, predictive analysis of diseases, improving value in healthcare organizations and accelerating medical research with low costs. The paper provides a general survey of recent advances in BDA in healthcare, BDA tools and roles. Also, a healthcare framework that offer miscellaneous data analytical capabilities is proposed. Additionally, various opportunities and challenges inside this field are explored. This study reached several results, mainly: the application of BDA in healthcare provides opportunities like: enhancing the quality of care, decreasing waste and error, decreasing the charge of care, facilitating of medical organization activities and making decisions and enhancing personalized healthcare service. While security and privacy remain, major challenges facing the application of this technology in healthcare. Therefore, basic pillars should be adopted to take advantages of BDA and overcome its challenges. BDA has potential positive effects and global implications in healthcare; however, it must overcome some obstacles and design an effective system based on BDA.