NURS 6051 Week 5 Discussion: Big Data Risks and Rewards
McGonigle and Mastrian identify big data as large amounts of data sets that are difficult to process using typical data processing (McGonigle and Mastrian, 2021). They further go on to say that this unstructured data represents 75% or more of the data stored by an organization (McGonigle and Mastrian, 2021). Some examples of big data in healthcare include real time alerts that trend data in an electronic health record to key in on sepsis, tracking prescriptions geographically to identify medication trends to identify medication abuse or disease prevalence, and monitoring patient responses to identify those at risk for adverse events including falls or self harm (Durcevic, 2020)
One potential benefit of an organization utilizing big data as part of a clinical system is improved patient care. When used correctly, patient characteristics can be identified so that safe staffing ratios can be put into place and patient population features can be used to identify needs (Durcevic, 2020). Our organization utilized this during the recent covid pandemic. Using published numbers of covid positive individuals released by the department of health for our area, our organization was able to predict how many patients we could expect to see in our emergency department, medical floors, and intensive care units over the coming weeks. This allowed staffing to be increased and decreased without compromising patient care. It also allowed for supplies such as ventilators, feeding pumps, and PPE to be stocked appropriately.
With the collection and utilization of big data, there are also risks. One of the most important and inherent risks of big data is a lack of privacy (The Pros and Cons of Big Data in the Healthcare Industry, 2016). Data collected can be utilized maliciously at times. One specific example are companies that are selling tests to identify genetic markers. These have been sold to consumers to track ancestry, identify allergies or diet techniques, and provide insight to genetic characteristics (23andMe, 2020). However, all of this data is kept and as new research is done this same data is being used to identify and notify individuals of their genetic predisposition to diseases or cancers. This becomes problematic as private medical information becomes public. In fact websites that promote this service now provide a disclaimer of the risks that genetics information can be used against your best interest. Interestingly, one of these services can be used to identify characteristics about you even if you are not the one using them. For example, if family members choose to use the site, then data is collected and can be used to identify traits you are likely to have. In fact, these services are now being used by police to identify family members of criminals in order to track down criminals themself (Gonzalez, 2017). In the last several years at least 59 cases were resolved by uploading suspect genomic information into the data sets of companies such as GEDMatch and Family Ancestry (Gonzalez, 2017). This questions how anonymous this data actually is kept.
Some strategies to protect individuals in respect to big data are utilizing a need to know frame of mind (Mattacotta, 2017). This would restrict the number of individuals that have access to important data that affects the health and outcomes of others. Additionally, personal identities need to be removed from large data sets(Mattacotta, 2017).
23andme.com. 2020. DNA insights are an essential part of your health picture. https://www.23andme.com
Durcevic, S., 2020. 18 Examples of Big Data In Healthcare That Can Save People. datapine. https://www.datapine.com/blog/big-data-examples-in-healthcare
Gonzalez, V., 2017. How DNA ingenuity led to wave of cold case arrests. KCRA3. https://www.kcra.com/article/dna-cold-case-arrests-golden-state-killer-norcal-rapist/27245135#
Healthtechzone.com. 2016. The Pros and Cons of Big Data in the Healthcare Industry. https://www.healthtechzone.com/topics/healthcare/articles/2016/11/18/427248-pros-cons-big-data-the-healthcare-industry.htm
Mattacotta, J., 2017. Protecting Patient Privacy in the Age of Big Data. Medium. https://medium.com/verticalchangehq/protecting-patient-privacy-in-the-age-of-big-data-59137156982
McGonigle, D. and Mastrian, K., 2021. NURSING INFORMATICS AND THE FOUNDATION OF KNOWLEDGE. 4th ed. Burlington MA: JONES & BARTLETT LEARNING.
Discussion: Big Data Risks and Rewards
When you wake in the morning, you may reach for your cell phone to reply to a few text or email messages that you missed overnight. On your drive to work, you may stop to refuel your car. Upon your arrival, you might swipe a key card at the door to gain entrance to the facility. And before finally reaching your workstation, you may stop by the cafeteria to purchase a coffee.
From the moment you wake, you are in fact a data-generation machine. Each use of your phone, every transaction you make using a debit or credit card, even your entrance to your place of work, creates data. It begs the question: How much data do you generate each day? Many studies have been conducted on this, and the numbers are staggering: Estimates suggest that nearly 1 million bytes of data are generated every second for every person on earth.
As the volume of data increases, information professionals have looked for ways to use big data—large, complex sets of data that require specialized approaches to use effectively. Big data has the potential for significant rewards—and significant risks—to healthcare. In this Discussion, you will consider these risks and rewards.
To Prepare:
- Review the Resources and reflect on the web article Big Data Means Big Potential, Challenges for Nurse Execs.
- Reflect on your own experience with complex health information access and management and consider potential challenges and risks you may have experienced or observed.
By Day 3 of Week 5
Post a description of at least one potential benefit of using big data as part of a clinical system and explain why. Then, describe at least one potential challenge or risk of using big data as part of a clinical system and explain why. Propose at least one strategy you have experienced, observed, or researched that may effectively mitigate the challenges or risks of using big data you described. Be specific and provide examples.
By Day 6 of Week 5
Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days, by offering one or more additional mitigation strategies or further insight into your colleagues’ assessment of big data opportunities and risks.
You bring up some pretty valid points regarding the selling of personal data. It is scary to know that our information is amongst strangers allowing them to identify us from a distance. I too believe that this is a huge challenge, but wonder what would happen if the system fails. We rely heavily on the use of our computer systems not realizing that we will be at a huge disadvantage if the system would shut down. How will we obtain medical records, administer medications, look up past hospitalization, admit/transfer or discharge patients, or even document findings hoping for some insight on their current health concerns?
I spent many years working for an “old-time” physician who stated that “when medicine becomes computerized, I will be giving it up”. Unfortunately, he did not live to see that day, but I believe that he would have retired due to the demands of technology. We depend so much on the accessibility of our computers, that no one ever stops to think about what would happen without out them. Time is of the essence and the need for paper charting would exist in a situation of this caliber. Who then would upload the information and validate its contents”? This would require additional staff, time, and money.
” “According to a McKinsey Report on Big Data in Healthcare, an integrated system has already saved an estimated $1.0 billion from reduced office visits and lab tests. A shared system of digitized patient records would save hospitals and healthcare centers substantial sums of money” (Gupta, 2020). Big data will assist with the performance of nurses and alleviate additional stressors regarding patient care. It will also allow nurses to care for their patients efficiently and effectively without having to seek assistance from physicians and advanced practice nurses. Big data will also open doors for advancement to allow nurses the opportunity to assist with the utilization and maintenance of the systems. Nursing informatics will open many doors to nurses looking to advance in their careers.
References
Gupta, S. (2020, April 17). Top 3 Ways Data Analytics Can Reduce Costs In Healthcare and Medicine. Byte Academy. https://www.byteacademy.co/blog/3-ways-data-analytics-reduce-healthcare-costs.
5 Ways Big Data is Changing Nursing. Bradley University Online. (2018, June 15). https://onlinedegrees.bradley.edu/blog/five-ways-big-data-is-changing-nursing/.
