Health Professionals' Perception about Big Data Technology in Greece.

Abstract

Big data is massive amounts of information that can work wonders. In the healthcare industry, various sources for big data include hospital records, medical records of patients, results of medical examinations, and devices that are a part of internet of things. The research aim of this study is to investigate the perceptions of the Health Professionals about the Big Data Technology in Healthcare. An empirical study was conducted among 151 health professionals (doctors and nurses) to assess their knowledge about the Big Data Technology and their perceptions about using this technology in healthcare. A questionnaire was developed in order to measure the aforementioned dimensions. The survey's population was formed by 151 doctors and nurses who are working at private and public hospitals in Greece. The majority of the population have never heard about Big Data. As a result, most of them were not aware of the format of Big Data. Based on the study findings, it can be assumed that the majority of the responders did not have knowledge about the Big Data Technology. It is also important that most of them had never been informed about Big Data. It can be assumed that the Healthcare Sector in Greece is not familiar with Big Data Technology yet. Finally,the current study reveals a rather positive attitude toward the usage of Big Data in the Helathcare domain, although there are some doubts about the implementation of the aforementioned technology in the Greek national healthcare system.