Health
Informati
cs
BCA-2020: Semester-V
Module 3:
Chapter 2
CLINICAL DECISION HEALTHCARE DATA
SUPPORT SYSTEMS ANALYTICS
Clinical Decision Support Systems: Making
Decisions, the impact health information technology
on the delivery of care in a rapidly changing
healthcare marketplace. Module
Healthcare Data Analytics: How is data analytics
used in healthcare? example of data analytics in
Content
healthcare, types of analytics used in healthcare.
Learning Objectives
Discuss the difference between
descriptive, predictive and prescriptive
analytics
Outline the characteristics of “Big Data”
List several limitations of healthcare
data analytics
One of the promises of the growing critical mass of
clinical data accumulating in electronic health record
(EHR) systems is secondary use (or re-use) of the
data for other purposes, such as quality improvement
and clinical research.
The growth of such data has increased dramatically in
recent years due to incentives for EHR adoption in the
Introduction US funded by the Health Information Technology for
Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.
In the meantime, there has also seen substantial
growth in other kinds of health-related data, most
notably through efforts to sequence genomes and
other biological structures and functions.
The analysis of this data is usually called analytics (or
data analytics).
Defining analytics as “the extensive use of data,
statistical and quantitative analysis, explanatory and
predictive models, and fact-based management to
drive decisions and actions.”
IBM defines analytics as “the systematic use of
data and related business insights developed
through applied analytical disciplines (e.g.
statistical, contextual, quantitative, predictive,
Terminology cognitive, other [including emerging] models) to drive
fact-based decision making for planning,
of Analytics management, measurement and learning. Analytics
may be descriptive, predictive or prescriptive.”
Three levels of analytics, each with increasing
functionality and value:
Descriptive – standard types of reporting that describe
current situations and problems
Predictive – simulation and modeling techniques that
identify trends and portend outcomes of actions taken
Prescriptive – optimizing clinical, financial, and other
outcomes
There are a number of terms related to data analytics.
A core methodology in data analytics is machine
learning, which is the area of computer science that
aims to build systems and algorithms that learn from
data.
One of the major techniques of machine learning is
data mining, which is defined as the processing and
modeling of large amounts of data to discover
previously unknown patterns or relationships.
A subarea of data mining is text mining, which applies
Analytics data mining techniques to mostly unstructured
textual data.
Another close but more recent term in the vernacular
is big data, which describes large and ever-increasing
volumes of data that adhere to the following
attributes:
Volume – ever-increasing amounts
Velocity – quickly generated
Variety – many different types
Veracity – from trustable sources
Process of big data
analytics resembles a
pipeline, and have
developed an
The approach that
specifies four major
Analytics steps in this pipeline,
to which one can
Pipeline place data sources
and actions on it
pertinent to
healthcare and
biomedicine
The pipeline begins with input data sources, which
in healthcare and biomedicine may include clinical
records, financial records, genomics and related data,
and other types, even those from outside the
healthcare setting (e.g., census data).
The next step is feature extraction, where various
The computational techniques are used to organize and
extract elements of the data, such as linking records
Analytics across sources, using natural language processing
(NLP) to extract and normalize concepts, and
Pipeline matching of other patterns.
This is followed by statistical processing, where
machine learning and related statistical inference
techniques are used to make conclusions from the
data. The final step is the output of predictions, often
with probabilistic measures of confidence in the
results.
1. The amount of data being collected
With today’s data-driven organizations and the introduction of big data, risk
managers and other employees are often overwhelmed with the amount of
data that is collected. An organization may receive information on every
incident and interaction that takes place on a daily basis, leaving analysts
with thousands of interlocking data sets.
There is a need for a data system that automatically collects and organizes
information. Manually performing this process is far too time-consuming and
Challenges
unnecessary in today’s environment. An automated system will allow
employees to use the time spent processing data to act on it instead.
to Data
2. Collecting meaningful and real-time data
With so much data available, it’s difficult to dig down and access the
Analytics insights that are needed most. When employees are overwhelmed, they
may not fully analyze data or only focus on the measures that are easiest to
collect instead of those that truly add value. In addition, if an employee has
to manually sift through data, it can be impossible to gain real-time insights
on what is currently happening. Outdated data can have significant
negative impacts on decision-making.
A data system that collects, organizes and automatically alerts users of
trends will help solve this issue. Employees can input their goals and easily
create a report that provides the answers to their most important questions.
With real-time reports and alerts, decision-makers can be confident they are
basing any choices on complete and accurate information.
3. Visual representation of data
To be understood and impactful, data often needs to be visually
presented in graphs or charts. While these tools are incredibly
useful, it’s difficult to build them manually. Taking the time to pull
information from multiple areas and put it into a reporting tool is
frustrating and time-consuming.
Strong data systems enable report building at the click of a
Challenges button. Employees and decision-makers will have access to the
real-time information they need in an appealing and educational
to Data format.
4. Data from multiple sources
Analytics The next issue is trying to analyze data across multiple,
disjointed sources. Different pieces of data are often housed in
different systems. Employees may not always realize this, leading
to incomplete or inaccurate analysis. Manually combining data is
time-consuming and can limit insights to what is easily viewed.
With a comprehensive and centralized system, employees will
have access to all types of information in one location. Not only
does this free up time spent accessing multiple sources, it allows
cross-comparisons and ensures data is complete.
5. Inaccessible data
Moving data into one centralized system has little impact if it is not
easily accessible to the people that need it. Decision-makers and risk
managers need access to all of an organization’s data for insights on
what is happening at any given moment, even if they are working off-
site. Accessing information should be the easiest part of data analytics.
An effective database will eliminate any accessibility issues. Authorized
employees will be able to securely view or edit data from anywhere,
Challenges illustrating organizational changes and enabling high-speed decision
making.
to Data 6. Poor quality data
Nothing is more harmful to data analytics than inaccurate data. Without
Analytics good input, output will be unreliable. A key cause of inaccurate data is
manual errors made during data entry. This can lead to significant
negative consequences if the analysis is used to influence decisions.
Another issue is asymmetrical data: when information in one system
does not reflect the changes made in another system, leaving it
outdated.
A centralized system eliminates these issues. Data can be input
automatically with mandatory or drop-down fields, leaving little room for
human error. System integrations ensure that a change in one area is
instantly reflected across the board.
7. Pressure from the top
As risk management becomes more popular in organizations, CFOs and
other executives demand more results from risk managers. They
expect higher returns and a large number of reports on all kinds of
data.
With a comprehensive analysis system, risk managers can go above
and beyond expectations and easily deliver any desired analysis.
They’ll also have more time to act on insights and further the value of
Challenges the department to the organization.
8. Lack of support
to Data Data analytics can’t be effective without organizational support, both
Analytics from the top and lower-level employees. Risk managers will be
powerless in many pursuits if executives don’t give them the ability to
act. Other employees play a key role as well: if they do not submit data
for analysis or their systems are inaccessible to the risk manager, it will
be hard to create any actionable information.
Emphasize the value of risk management and analysis to all aspects of
the organization to get past this challenge. Once other members of the
team understand the benefits, they’re more likely to cooperate.
Implementing change can be difficult, but using a centralized data
analysis system allows risk managers to easily communicate results
and effectively achieve buy-in from multiple stakeholders.
9. Confusion or anxiety
Users may feel confused or anxious about switching from
traditional data analysis methods, even if they understand the
benefits of automation. Nobody likes change, especially when
they are comfortable and familiar with the way things are done.
To overcome this HR problem, it’s important to illustrate how
changes to analytics will actually streamline the role and make it
Challenges more meaningful and fulfilling. With comprehensive data
analytics, employees can eliminate redundant tasks like data
to Data collection and report building and spend time acting on insights
instead.
Analytics 10. Budget
Another challenge risk managers regularly face is budget. Risk is
often a small department, so it can be difficult to get approval for
significant purchases such as an analytics system.
Risk managers can secure budget for data analytics by
measuring the return on investment of a system and making a
strong business case for the benefits it will achieve. For more
information on gaining support for a risk management software
system, check out our blog post here.
11. Shortage of skills
Some organizations struggle with analysis due to a lack of
talent. This is especially true in those without formal risk
departments. Employees may not have the knowledge or
capability to run in-depth data analysis.
This challenge is mitigated in two ways: by addressing analytical
competency in the hiring process and having an analysis system
Challenges that is easy to use. The first solution ensures skills are on hand,
while the second will simplify the analysis process for everyone.
to Data Everyone can utilize this type of system, regardless of skill level.
12. Scaling data analysis
Analytics Finally, analytics can be hard to scale as an organization and the
amount of data it collects grows. Collecting information and
creating reports becomes increasingly complex. A system that
can grow with the organization is crucial to manage this issue.
While overcoming these challenges may take some time, the
benefits of data analysis are well worth the effort. Improve your
organization today and consider investing in a data analytics
system.
A number of critical clinical situations have been amenable to
detection by analytics applied to EHR and other clinical data:
Predicting 30-day risk of readmission and death among HIV-infected
inpatients
Identification of children with asthma
Risk-adjusting hospital mortality rates
Research Detecting postoperative complications
and
Measuring processes of care
Determining five-year life expectancy
Application Detecting potential delays in cancer diagnosis
Identifying patients with cirrhosis at high risk for readmission
of Analytics Predicting out of intensive care unit cardiopulmonary arrest or death
Additional efforts have focused on helping to identify patients for
participation in research protocols or improve diagnosis of disease:
Identifying patients who might be eligible for participation in clinical
studies
Determining eligibility for clinical trials
Identifying patients with diabetes and the earliest date of diagnosis
Predicting diagnosis in new patients
Thank You!