Chapter 22 - Big data in orthopedics: between hypes and hopes

Abstract

Orthopedic disorders contribute to a significant portion of the global burden of disease. Orthopedics can benefit from big data, which is generated and released by different sources and channels, like epidemiological surveys, national registries, electronic clinical records, etc. Big data is increasingly having a more and more relevant role, being highly ubiquitous and pervasive in contemporary society and paving the way for new, unprecedented perspectives in biomedicine, including orthopedics. Big data can be a real paradigm shift that revolutionizes orthopedics and musculoskeletal clinical research. However, there are some methodological issues that should be properly addressed (like recording and association biases) and some ethical issues that should be considered (such as privacy). Therefore, further research in the field is warranted. This chapter will provide a brief overview on the potential uses of big data in the field of orthopedics.