Stanford Medicine Launches Report on Health Care Trends

In its first Health Trends Report, Stanford Medicine has found big data to be the most important trend facing the health care sector. Designed to provide a comprehensive review and analysis of existing health care research and open-source data, Health Trends Report combines insights from Stanford faculty and external health care experts into emerging trends facing the health care sector. The report will be published annually.

The inaugural report (available at med.stanford.edu/content/dam/sm/sm-news/ documents/ Stanford Medicine HealthTrendsWhitePaper2017.pdf), suggests several areas that must be prioritized in order for the impact of big data to be fully realized in this sector. Suggestions include efforts to help health care professionals become more data literate and skilled in data analytics. In addition, it notes that health care organizations need to have the right systems, processes and structures in place to manage big data. Another important aspect will be breaking down silos and roadblocks across health care organizations that prevent effective data-sharing, while also protecting the privacy and security of patient data.

From Decisions in Dentistry. August 2017;3(8):12.