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  • How Business Intelligence is changing the healthcare industry

How Business Intelligence is Changing the World of Healthcare

By: Pawandeep Singh

Business intelligence systems are changing the world of healthcare today. In order to provide the best possible patient care and to keep up with the current trends in healthcare, it is crucial that hospitals and affiliated healthcare facilities integrate. Information Technology instructor, Pawandeep shares his insights on the intersection between technology and health. Pawandeep is also an Application Consultant at North York General Hospital.

What is Business Intelligence? 

Business Intelligence (BI) refers to the practice of using data to make informed and better business decisions. The complete BI process is a multi-level process that involves various applications that allow data extraction and transformation, integration, and analysis of business information.

How is BI affecting healthcare today? 

In order to provide the best possible patient care and to keep up with the current trends in healthcare, it is crucial that hospitals and affiliated healthcare facilities integrate business intelligence into their decision-making process. The utilization of these tools within the current healthcare system plays a significant role in patient care quality and safety. It allows healthcare providers to understand the needs and demands of patients both inside and outside a hospital setting.

 

Why do you think healthcare is behind other industries in terms of BI tools?

There has been a huge delay in bringing patient information onto a digital platform due to the vast amount of data that has never been collected electronically. In the past, hospitals and healthcare facilities depended on manual techniques and spreadsheets to evaluate metrics, which caused a severe impediment to the healthcare industry as a whole. Luckily, the gradual implementation of electronic medical records over the recent years in hospital and healthcare settings incorporates all patient data that is easy to collect via business intelligence tools. These tools obtain the ability to collect a variety of data metrics to its respective executive committees in order to improve patient care and safety.

Furthermore, the ongoing development of real-time analytics encourages the healthcare industry to evaluate the issues at stake. For instance, real-time interactive dashboards that combine data from multiple sources like EMR systems, Bed Tracking etc. can educate the teams about bottlenecks in patient awaiting care.  Such advanced tools have assisted the organizations in a vast number of ways to enhance quality improvement, patient safety and communication within the circle of care. This method of patient care is only capable with the utilization of real-time analytics. Even though healthcare is playing catch up with respect to business intelligence, it is just a matter of time until we are in the lead.   

Where do you see BI in healthcare headed in the next 5 years? 

We have come a long way from the initial stages of business intelligence within the healthcare industry, however in the future, it is definite that the collaboration of mobile applications and cloud networks will improve patient care and safety. For instance, when patients use mobile applications for the purpose of medication management, data will be collected and determined whether it is deemed appropriate as a medication and whether it is improving the individual’s overall quality of life. These metrics can assist not only the care providers, but can also educate pharmaceutical companies on their medications and whether there is any room for improvement. 

What skills are needed to be successful in the industry? 

Most importantly, understanding the current trends of the healthcare system would be a definite asset in this industry. In addition, having strong knowledge about relational Databases along with SQL skills is definitely an asset. Humber’s database development and Business Intelligence courses helped me a lot in excelling at this profession. In addition to that, Humber’s big data analytics program is an excellent course for anyone who is looking to start his or her career in the field of Business Intelligence and Data Analytics.

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