Integrating Data in Healthcare: What do we need to know?

The medical industry heavily relies on data integration to improve established healthcare models. Additionally, data integration strategies in pharma are being leveraged across all levels of the value chain, from invention to manufacturing to commercialization. 

Only 56% of healthcare units are able to utilize all of their data streams effectively. This means that nearly half of the healthcare industry is missing out–resulting in approximately $342 billion in losses for healthcare units.

Data integration challenges in healthcare

• Standardizing data formats is not feasible 

The Economic Times reported that there are now close to 400,000 health apps that track health related data which makes data collection and aggregation communities equally fragmented, making the extraction and integration of data a real challenge.

• Data silos between healthcare systems 

Hospitals have traditionally found it difficult to manage large, heterogeneous data sets from a variety of sources.Approximately 97% of the hospital-generated data sits unused, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). This data has the potential to modernize the healthcare industry. 

• Misconceptions regarding data exchange and data privacy

The laws concerning data confidentiality and privacy are not fully understood by some healthcare units. Despite the necessity of safeguarding data from unauthorized access and modification, it is also important to share it under specific circumstances. It can be challenging to balance these two concerns, however, it is not impossible.

• Data Transferability: A major issue 

The needs of a healthcare unit can’t be addressed by a single app. It’s more than likely that they would rely on several applications to serve their various users. To ensure data-driven insights, these apps should provide consistent information.

Healthcare Automation: How It Helps

• Data Integration Helps Manage Risks

Only a few industries are responsible for protecting the lives of their customers. Patients, families, and organizations can suffer serious consequences even from minor errors in such a critical sector. 50% of consumers report they’d switch healthcare providers if their sensitive health information was breached.

• Reduce staffing load and work hours 

A survey found that 64 percent of physicians think they have less free time now than they did at the beginning of their careers. Furthermore, 22 percent spend more than an hour each day on paperwork and entering data into electronic health records.This lack of balance comes in part from physicians feeling like they have less free time outside of work.

• Providing a positive patient experience

“Many hospitals are finding that small changes, like having nurses visit rooms hourly, often improve patients’ responses to the surveys more effectively than do new, hotel-like amenities.”  And each moment spent dealing with a technological mishap automatically reduces the amount of patient-facing time clinicians have available..The New York Times reports

• Reducing Human error 

Data suggests that more than 50 percent of the physician workforce is burnt out. Medical burnout is a major consequence of excessive administrative burdens, which in turn adversely affects the quality of care and further increases costs.

Recommendations from DBSync

Automation in healthcare suggests making the use of distinct software that heightens efficiency in various elements of medical services….To learn more about how DBSync helps Integrate Data in Healthcare, click here