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The future of healthcare services: Reimagining this domain with data processing, analytics, and visualization.

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Alen Parker
The future of healthcare services: Reimagining this domain with data processing, analytics, and visualization.

Introduction

Data science is continuously expanding in terms of both its scope and the range of applications. One of the notable industries that has witnessed significant transformation due to data science and analytics is the healthcare industry. With the application of data analysis and visualisation in bioinformatics, biotechnology, and diagnosis, the medical sector has undergone a rapid advancement. In this article, we take a close look at various sub domains and applications of data analytics in the medical industry.

Data visualisation and precise diagnosis

For precise diagnosis, the need of data visualisation techniques is the first and foremost requirement. In the past, the art of medical diagnosis was primarily based on the symptomatic analysis by the doctors. However, this process had its own limitations. The arrival of modern diagnostic techniques like computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging paved the way for precise and surgical medication. This had a great impact on the overall functioning as well as the rapid advancement of healthcare services. Meanwhile, the evolution of the new technologies started materializing with the advancements in data science. Doctors and scientists around the world started to lobby for a greater role of advanced analytics in the present system of diagnosis. The healthcare workers started to undergo data analyst training with the sole aim of catering to the new verticals of the diagnostic systems. The techniques like image processing and image segmentation paved the way for microscopic analysis of medical records. Various types of deep learning techniques found practical applications in real-time analysis of medical history of patients.

Data analytics and bioinformatics

Bioinformatics is one of the most popular research grounds for data analytics. This was primarily due to two reasons. Firstly, the voluminous quantity of data that was lying dormant in the domain of bioinformatics needed a toolbox of analytics. This toolbox was adequately supplied by data analytics. Secondly, the rapid advancements in the domain of genomics and gene sequencing required inputs from a domain that could take stock of the minutest details of DNA. The domain of data analytics found a great and overlapping opportunity in both data processing, data management, and data visualisation related to gene sequencing. In addition to this, the data visualisation techniques also enabled the detection of gene abnormalities that led to an early treatment of disease and disorders like the Downs Syndrome.

Data processing and drug discovery

In a time when the whole world is gripped in the wave of the covid-19 pandemic, the process of drug discovery has assumed pivotal importance. However, the process of drug discovery is a much more complex process and is also a time taking one. Starting from sourcing of active pharmaceutical ingredients to the stage of manufacturing and packaging, the process takes no less than several months. Various combinations need to be operated and their efficacy related to treatment needs to be analysed. This is one of the most time consuming stages in the process of drug discovery. However, with the help of data processing, data acquired from various trials and samples can be processed in real-time. In addition to this, data processing also helps in accentuating the process of ingredient combination by establishing statistical relationships between the constituents of a particular combination.

Predictive analytics and patient monitoring system

The patient monitoring system keeps track of the previous medical records of patients and updates them constantly over a period of time. Whenever the patient faces any medical emergency, it becomes relatively easier for the doctor to assess the previous records of the patient via the monitoring system. This helps in applying the correct treatment without much delay. Hence, the patient monitoring system serves two primary functions. Firstly, it helps in appropriate treatment of the patient especially in the golden hour. Secondly, it serves as a repository of records to monitor the efficacy of drugs and the consequent treatment techniques. For instance, the national medical records and surveys in various countries of the world are based on centralised databases of patient records. In India, the National Health Stack is also based on the ideas of sourcing individual health records for creation of a central medical diagnostics repository.

The way ahead

The arrival of new data analytical techniques like predictive analytics has further helped in the advancement of the medical industry. In addition to this, data is also sourced from various kinds of wearable devices that keep a track of sleep cycles, pulse rate, temperature and the like. So, the future of the medical industry needs to be revisited in the light of advanced analytics.

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