By Vikram Thaploo
India has made it quite clear that one of its key focus areas during its G20 presidency will be healthcare. In a recent meeting, the Health Minister emphasised that to manage health emergencies like COVID-19 efficiently, a framework that is inclusive, responsive and adaptive is required. To support such a framework, India will shift its focus from a ‘data-driven’ approach to a ‘data-first’ approach where ‘data for development’ will play a crucial role.
The value of data has become priceless in an industry where millions of irreplaceable pieces of patient data are constantly flowing from one end to the other. With the introduction of Big Data technology, it is now possible to turn this data into knowledge that can then be used to deliver better healthcare services to end users. The wave of digitalisation is steadily changing how hospitals and other healthcare institutions handle and access medical records to provide patients with better healthcare services.
Strengthening the Digital Footprint in Healthcare Service Delivery
India now has a digital ecosystem where healthcare providers can store and share medical records digitally to improve service delivery. The digital delivery of healthcare services in India is supported by the development of digital assets such as consent artefacts, digital identities, digital payment systems, virtual authentications, etc.
The National Digital Health Mission, which the Honourable Prime Minister recently launched, is driven by technology and serves as a catalyst for the nation’s digital transformation. India is aiming to build an ecosystem in which hospitals, clinics, labs, medical centres, pharmaceutical firms and other significant divisions will be linked together in a digital grid. The monitoring and effective provision of healthcare services in the nation would be aided by this ecosystem.
Additionally, healthcare services will be universally driven by the digital platform that NGA is allowing under the National Digital Health Vision, especially in rural areas.
With digital platforms assisting numerous healthcare functions like managing healthcare records, prescriptions, patient’s medical history, etc. plenty of data is being produced. This data is instrumental in redefining the nation’s digital healthcare system. The digital ecosystem can make use of tools like artificial intelligence to obtain insights and assist in making data-backed, informed judgements without invading citizens’ privacy.
Using Data Intelligence to Improve the Efficiency of the Healthcare Industry
Grand View Research projects that the global market for data analytics in healthcare will reach $26 billion in 2019 and grow at a 7.5% CAGR from 2020 to 2027.
Data analytics in areas as diverse as drug research, cancer therapy and disease prediction will alter how healthcare services are provided. The accuracy of insurance costs, the digitisation of administrative processes and the utilisation of artificial intelligence (AI) in diagnostics are just a few of the areas of healthcare that will be affected by the use of advanced data analytics techniques and the ongoing growth in the amount of data that can be analysed.
Here are a few examples of how data analytics can reshape the future of healthcare in India:
Identify High-Risk Patients
The treatment of chronic diseases, supply chain efficiency, hospital administrative operations, and overall patient care can all be improved with the application of predictive analytics in the healthcare sector. Readmissions to the hospital are quite prevalent in the case of emergency patients, which eventually leads to ineffective treatment delivery and a rise in the cost borne by the healthcare service provider. The issue can be resolved if hospitals are able to recognise high-risk patients in advance and provide them with individualised care. By leveraging real-time patient data to make clinically relevant conclusions and assist in decision-making, predictive analytics can lower the incidence of repeat trips to the emergency room.
Provide Better Opportunities for Customer Engagement
Big data technology has benefited the healthcare industry by turning data into insights that allow healthcare organisations to understand their client’s needs and meet them appropriately. In order to deliver better care, businesses created the concept of wearable electronics including health watches, mHealth applications, and web-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) devices. By using these gadgets, people can take charge of their health instead of routinely visiting the doctor. Now, consumers may monitor their heart rate, amount of sleep, calories burnt, number of steps walked and other information. The data amassed through these consumer interaction technologies is then uploaded to the cloud, where it can be quickly accessed by medical professionals everywhere. This information can then be used to develop customised treatment regimens for each patient.
Avoid Security Threats
A growing volume of patient data, including medical and personal information, is handled by the healthcare industry, making it particularly susceptible to security breaches. Technically skilled and sound attackers can access the healthcare provider’s database and steal crucial patient data easily when there is a little amount of technical inefficiency or ignorance.
Big data can help with the security concerns facing the healthcare sector. Because so few people are aware of Big Data’s discoveries and applications, its preventive benefits are underappreciated. By employing Big Data analytics to look into previous and present fraud activities, healthcare organisations can get ready to minimise their risks of coming under assault from similar security threats in the future.
Reduce Hospital Cost
Similar to other industries, the healthcare industry can benefit from the use of predictive analytics to help businesses foresee future changes and trends and take the right action based on well-thought-out plans and strategies. Big Data offers healthcare organisations a great opportunity to reduce expenses and the time needed to deliver top-notch patient care.
Final Say
The ability of medical practitioners to give patients with high-quality care in an efficient and effective manner has already been significantly impacted by the use of data analytics in healthcare. Nonetheless, as more types of data become available and new technologies are developed that make the analytics results clear and easy for healthcare personnel to use, the importance of data analytics in improving patient outcomes and healthcare systems will continue to grow and extend.
(The author is a CEO- Telehealth, Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Limited. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the FinancialExpress.com.)
