A fifth opportunity that big data offers for healthcare professionals is patient engagement, which is the involvement and empowerment of patients in their own health and care. By using big data technologies, such as mobile apps, wearable devices, online platforms, and telehealth services, healthcare professionals can provide patients with more access and control over their health data, information, and services. Big data can also help healthcare professionals communicate and interact with patients more effectively and conveniently, provide them with personalized and tailored feedback and guidance, and encourage them to participate and adhere to their care plans.
Big data is a powerful and valuable asset for healthcare professionals, as it can enable them to improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of healthcare delivery and outcomes. However, big data also poses some challenges and risks, such as data quality, security, privacy, ethics, and governance, that need to be addressed and managed carefully and responsibly. Therefore, healthcare professionals need to acquire and update their skills and competencies in data science, such as data collection, processing, analysis, visualization, and interpretation, to make the most of big data opportunities and overcome its limitations.