Analytics in Healthcare

Book excerpt: This book offers a practical introduction to healthcare analytics that does not require a background in data science or statistics. It presents the basics of data, analytics and tools and includes multiple examples of their applications in the field. The book also identifies practical challenges that fuel the need for analytics in healthcare as well as the solutions to address these problems. In the healthcare field, professionals have access to vast amount of data in the form of staff records, electronic patient record, clinical findings, diagnosis, prescription drug, medical imaging procedure, mobile health, resources available, etc. Managing the data and analyzing it to properly understand it and use it to make well-informed decisions can be a challenge for managers and health care professionals. A new generation of applications, sometimes referred to as end-user analytics or self-serve analytics, are specifically designed for non-technical users such as managers and business professionals. The ability to use these increasingly accessible tools with the abundant data requires a basic understanding of the core concepts of data, analytics, and interpretation of outcomes. This book is a resource for such individuals to demystify and learn the basics of data management and analytics for healthcare, while also looking towards future directions in the field.