Since the 1970’s our population has faced an increasing number of chronic health concerns. Many of these have been related to lifestyle choices that lead to the most common non-communicable diseases, including obesity, physical inactivity, sexual behavior, and substance use (tobacco, alcohol, and drugs). During this time, these “lifestyle diseases” have been addressed by looking at personal choices, behavior, and responsibilities. Recent research though suggests that an individual’s actions are strongly influenced by their own physical and social surroundings. Many of these studies have shown that alterations in one’s environment may be an effective tool for changes in behavior.

Imagine a patient just diagnosed with a life-changing chronic illness such as diabetes, arthritis, asthma or a combination of these illnesses. A patient’s knowledge might range from complete unfamiliarity on these conditions or just a basic understanding from episodic visits to the clinic. And in most cases, patients have lots of questions that go unanswered like how it will change their daily routine? What therapies are best for them? Are there any clinical programs they can be part of?

Only 10% of health is determined by care received at a doctor's office. Other factors like economic stability, residential environment, education, food, and community play a significant role in health outcomes. Individual behavior, including, where we live, what we do for a living, and what services we have access to make up 60% of our health. Clinical advice when combined with focus on individual behavior and social factors can result in superior health outcomes.

In healthcare, the availability of new data sets (variety) and the pace at which the data changes (velocity) is driving the rapid adoption of Big Data techniques.  New data sets from social patient reviews, physician payments, sensor/ personal medical devices, and patient behavior are leading the change. 

View this infographic to learn more about how data and analytics can help improve health literacy

Adoption of digital technologies has been more rapid in industries such as retail, financial services, and media than in the Healthcare and Life Sciences (HLS) industries. Mobile and social communications, analytics, cloud computing and the Internet of things are just a few of the technologies that can make a big impact in how HLS organizations go to market faster, engage with patients better or transform their healthcare programs.

Life Sciences firms have witnessed an explosion in available data sources. The chief catalyst for the proliferation of data within the health care and life sciences industry is the Internet of Things, specifically personal digital care devices. The wearable devices serve many purposes, from monitoring daily fitness activity to measuring glucose levels. For pharmaceutical companies, these devices are an efficient way of administering clinical trials.Instead of patients going to the hospital numerous times throughout the trial for health monitoring, patients can simply wear a digital device that captures all of the pertinent information.