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.

According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, only 12 percent of adults in the U.S. have proficient health literacy. In terms of numbers, that is nine out of ten adults who lack the skills needed to manage their health and prevent disease. Low literacy has been linked to poor health outcomes such as higher rates of hospitalization and less frequent use of preventive services, which leads to higher healthcare costs. This is especially troubling for individuals over the age of 65 because they have low health literacy, live on a fixed budget and Medicare doesn’t pay for all the costs.

Pharmaceutical companies rely on closed loop marketing to drive sales, but without a DataOps platform, the real time data and collaboration that is required makes closed loop marketing nearly impossible to achieve.

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.