1. clinicalcurrent.com | @ClinicalCURRENT
The Impact of Digital
on Healthcare:
Key Emerging Trends
Big [Health] Data
Information Overload
Informed Patient
Quantified Self
Clinical Current is a digital insight consultancy with specialist knowledge of digital health and
insight methodologies. We are uniquely placed to assist healthcare clients in addressing important
questions about their digital initiatives, aspirations and market dynamics.
Get in touch to find out how we can help you to make more informed decisions for your business.
+44 (0) 207 55 88 969
n.cooper@clinicalcurrent.com

2. clinicalcurrent.com | @ClinicalCURRENT
BIG [HEALTH] DATA
Big Data is certainly not a new trend but it has now moved beyond academia and specialist practitioners
to be relevant to a much larger audience. As innovators have developed new techniques, approaches
and technologies our ability to manipulate vast quantities of data and derive meaningful insights has
grown exponentially.
Take, for example, IBM’s Watson computer. Watson can answer natural language queries by processing
vast quantities of unstructured data (around 80% of the world’s data is unstructured!) whilst learning as
it goes and is very good at giving accurate responses - in 2011 Watson beat top human competitors on
the US game show Jeopardy! Watson is now being used to address complex challenges across a number
of industries.
“The combination of multiple large datasets with the computing power to
intelligently interrogate the data opens huge possibilities in healthcare.”
In healthcare Watson has been taught how to accumulate and understand complicated peer-reviewed
medical knowledge relating to oncology. The data processed has now exceeded 600,000 pieces of
medical evidence, more than two million pages from medical journals and the further ability to search
through up to 1.5 million patient records. The result of all this number crunching? A 90% success rate at
diagnosing lung cancer compared to 50% amongst qualified physicians (more info on IBM Watson).
The combination of multiple large datasets with the computing power to intelligently interrogate the
data opens huge possibilities in healthcare. A widely tipped benefit of Big Data analysis is the ability to
spot trends and interrelationships that would previously have gone undetected. As we build evermore
detailed pictures of patients’ histories they can be analysed in conjunction with data on drug
interactions, adverse event notifications and demographic information. It’s now within the realms of
possibility that such analyses could be used to make a faster and more accurate diagnosis, to optimise a
treatment algorithm or even to spot the unique set of circumstances that undermine treatment success.
Application of Big Data and technologies that can be used to interpret the disparate information have
huge potential to make a positive impact on healthcare. Health services will be able to manage their
resources more effectively, healthcare providers will be able to deliver more personalised and targeted
care and patients can expect significantly improved chances of treatment success.

3. clinicalcurrent.com | @ClinicalCURRENT
INFORMATION OVERLOAD
With so much information available it’s hard for physicians to keep up to date with the latest
developments and it’s a real challenge for patients to know where to look to find the best and most
accurate information relating to their condition. Going back to IBM Watson, the medical support team
calculated that it would take physicians 160 hours per week out of the 168 available to read all the
relevant newly published medical literature. For patients, a Google search maybe the starting point but
how do they decide which is most relevant and credible of the thousands of results returned - especially
when top results can often be forum posts which rely more on uninformed opinion and hearsay than
hard evidence?
“Forward thinking organisations are moving beyond
content creation to content curation.”
There’s now so much content available that forward thinking organisations are moving beyond content
creation to content curation. There’s always going to be a need for fresh content as new ideas emerge
and advances take place but major benefits can be had from a trusted organisation reviewing existing
content, filtering out poor quality information and making the good stuff available in an accessible
format. Boehringer Ingelheim signed a deal with PSFK, a content aggregator, to collate online health
information that fits the profile of what the company wants to share. BI then reviews this filtered
content and shares a curated edit via their Facebook page. This targeted content curation is augmented
by an active social media presence that not only broadcasts but engages followers and helps them get
more from the content BI share.
Healthcare organisations have the opportunity to really help patients and their wider audience. Recent
research by Clinical Current found that although a majority of GPs acknowledged the clinical benefits of
online support communities for their anxiety and depression patients very few ever suggested their
patients actually use one. The reason? GPs were overwhelmed by the amount of sites available and
hadn’t had the time to make a list of ones they’d be happy recommending. What they wanted was a
directory of such online support communities with key details that they could pass on to their patients.
Any healthcare organisation with an interest in mental health could generate significant goodwill by
investing a small amount of time and resources in researching and compiling a patient community
directory. Indeed, when we consider the number of therapy areas where such a service might be useful
or the many other simple services that could be provided there is clearly great opportunity for
healthcare organisations to help meet a particular patient need and add value to their business at the
same time.

4. clinicalcurrent.com | @ClinicalCURRENT
INFORMED PATIENT
Digital has opened a huge number of new channels catering to the needs of patients. These channels
impart information, act as a forum for shared experiences and facilitate dialogue with HCPs to address
patients’ concerns. Ultimately, this has the effect of enabling patients to become more knowledgeable
and informed about their condition and as their knowledge develops they become more confident in
their understanding which empowers them to engage with their health in new ways.
“Digital channels impart information, are a forum for shared experiences
and facilitate dialogue with HCPs to address patients’ concerns.”
Large research studies have sought to understand the changing nature of health information and how
it is accessed and consumed by patients. This has ultimately led to a European wide framework for
promoting ‘the informed patient’. At the intersection of information and curation is the US-based
Informed Patient Institute. This independent non-profit organization has a mission is to facilitate
access to credible online information about health care quality and patient safety.
Elsewhere, online communities are providing a meaningful outlet to patients with a wide range of
chronic diseases including depression and anxiety. Sites such as the Black Dog Tribe place an emphasis
on community and shared experiences which are invaluable when dealing with a condition that slowly
saps away any feelings of connectedness and willingness to socialise. And when it comes to seeking
advice from HCPs, sites like HealthTap and OrganizedWisdom provide accessible and easy to navigate
tools to accessing qualified medical expertise.
As patients become more informed and engaged, this changes the dynamic of healthcare and opens up
new possibilities to deliver effective treatment and management solutions. Patients who understand
their condition are known to make better lifestyle choices, adapt their behaviour in positive ways and be
more likely to comply with their medication. In short, with all other things equal, the informed patient is
more likely to achieve a better outcome.

5. clinicalcurrent.com | @ClinicalCURRENT
QUANTITATIVE SELF
The Quantified Self (QS) movement is one example of how individuals are making Big Data personal.
People around the globe are monitoring everything from their health, fitness, diet, sleep patterns and
even mood. We now have the technological hardware and software in our pockets to measure the
smallest details about our lives and compile reams of personal data. New applications are emerging
that enable us to display and engage with our personal data in ways that enhance our understanding of
our own bodies and encourage us to change our behaviour in order to lead healthier, happier and more
enlightened lives.
“The Quantified Self movement gives meaning to data and
enables people to write stories about their own lives.”
Products such as Fitbit, Nike’s Fuelband and JawboneUp give users the tools to capture information
about themselves as they go about their daily lives. But data on its own is of little use, the real
revolution is in how it is analysed, displayed and formatted. The new technologies are developed to give
meaning to the data so that the information generated is turned into more than just a binary dataset
and used to enable people to write stories about themselves. These stories helps individuals to find out
new things about themselves – their sleep patterns and the things that can alter them; their level of
fitness and the things they do that impact on performance; their mood and the lifestyle choices that
determine whether they have a good or bad day.
Through this new self-awareness people are becoming more informed about the impact of their actions
on their health and wellbeing. This in turn is enabling people to make decisions that will have a positive
impact on their life. This enthusiasm for self-tracking opens up opportunities for healthcare
organisations to develop services that integrate with patients’ technological savvy to deliver improved
outcomes. Doctors could soon routinely prescribe patient monitoring apps so they can build a more
detailed picture of their lifestyle and activity profile. This information could then be augmented by cross
referencing the patient’s heart rate and sleep patterns. Armed with this more detailed understanding of
the patient, a doctor could alter their proposed course of treatment or suggest practical lifestyle
adaptions that would be more appropriate to the patient’s needs.