Leverage Advanced Analytics to Process Petabytes of Streaming Clinical Data at the Edge

The following is a guest article by Steve Lazer, Global Healthcare & Life Sciences CTO at Dell Technologies.

‍In the current digital environment, businesses are constantly bombarded with data. That data comes in all shapes and sizes, from structured and unstructured to static and streaming. There will be a projected 55 billion Internet of Things (IoT) devices by 2025, and Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) devices are projected to make up 30% of the entire IoT device market by then. The healthcare and life sciences (HCLS) industry deals with extremely sensitive information that can have a direct impact on human lives, such as incorrect dosage recommendations and drug manufacturing defects. To remain competitive in this fast-paced environment, companies need to adopt data management strategies that enable them to leverage big data analytics capabilities (such as Artificial Intelligence), process petabytes of streaming data at lightning speed, and secure their confidential information against unauthorized third parties (such as hackers).

HCLS organizations should implement big data analytics technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their IT environment, enabling them to gain significant insights into their operations and patient care pathways, as well as make more accurate decisions when it comes to clinical solutions and business strategies. Although AI is a revolutionary technology, it won’t work without near real-time data. This data is critical for the proper operation of AI systems, since they are designed to make predictions based on data that’s constantly updated, such as patient interactions, imaging results and diagnostic outcomes. 

Another critical reason to adopt real-time data management strategies is to ensure that HCLS organizations are able to process and analyze streaming data, which is generated in massive quantities by all types of sensors. From connected medical equipment in hospitals to chronic care devices at home, sensors are everywhere, generating data at all times. At the same time, the rate at which this information is generated is staggering. For context, an average ICU patient generates more than 900,000 data points per hour. Without AI clinicians typically look at three to five of these data points. By applying AI capabilities clinicians can observe every data point and trends in those data points to see responses from drug interaction or other forms of treatment. Additionally, once the device is no longer in use on that particular patient the data evaporates leaving a hole in the data around that patient. By applying AI and storing that data we can utilize this information in the secondary analysis and apply it to other possible patients in a de-identified form.

As a result, HCLS organizations need to be able to process and analyze streaming data quickly, as well as store it in a way that makes this information accessible in a fast and easy fashion. They don’t want to wait hours or even days for data to be processed. In an increasingly competitive environment, they need to be as agile as possible; need to make quick decisions, and act on them immediately. However, if the data management system is based on outdated technology, organizations may have to wait for hours or days for data to be processed, rendering real-time data useless.  

Data management systems must also comply with extensive security and privacy regulations to handle highly sensitive information like personal patient data and drug manufacturing details while ensuring data privacy and security. Hackers frequently breach systems, and current data security solutions don’t offer real-time protection. Thus, organizations that don’t adopt real-time data management strategies risk significant damage to their business in case of a data breach. In the recent past, organizations developing data privacy and security capabilities have only begun to apply AI to help us prevent malware attacks. The use of AI in these environments and near real-time data management allows us to be even more proactive in keeping our data safe and clean.

Another important reason to adopt real-time data management strategies is to ensure that your data is secure, no matter if it’s static or streaming. Given that data breaches happen on a regular basis, it’s clear that any business that deals with sensitive information needs to make sure that their systems are protected by the best security measures available on the market. Unfortunately, most current data security solutions don’t offer real-time protection. Therefore, if hackers manage to breach your system, they could get their hands on your data and misuse it, causing significant damage to your business.

In conclusion, real-time data management strategies are essential for healthcare and life sciences organizations to enable data-driven decision-making critical for business survival in today’s digital landscape. With the vast influx of data and access to real-time data streams, these HCLS organizations must collect, store, and use data securely, efficiently, and cost-effectively. They require intelligent compute infrastructure, software, and algorithms to rapidly turn data into meaningful insights to deliver individualized experiences for their patients, innovate smarter services, and develop new data-driven business models.

About Steve Lazer

Steve is the Global Healthcare and Life Sciences CTO for Dell Technologies. He brings robust Health IT competencies and management strategies for healthcare organizations ensuring successful Healthcare IT solution delivery. He drives technical strategy and solutions development for Healthcare and ISV technical relationships including joint solutions R&D, technical advisory, and technical escalation processes. Steve is part of one of the strongest healthcare practices in the technology industry with a heritage of more than 30 years building solutions around the globe with clinical ISV partners and providing essential technology infrastructure to hospitals of all sizes.

Dell Technologies is a proud sponsor of Healthcare Scene.

   

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