Men’s Health Big Data

Health care systems are being revolutionized through fundamental changes to ensure that we capture “big data.” Big data is recognized as the method of achieving a higher level of analysis of health care outcomes and health care systems. One of the challenges of big data is resistance to change. Health care providers are used to making decisions independently, using their own clinical judgment, rather than using evidence-based protocols based on big data.

Big data is considered a collection of large and complex data sets. These large data sets can be used to identify trends in the health of specific populations, propose programs to prevent disease and health promotion activities, develop population-based treatment protocols, and determine strategies to improve the quality of health care practices and systems. Big data sets have the propensity to generate science based on a wealth of data. There are new value pathways identified with the use of big data. These new value pathways are considered to be holistic, patient-centered frameworks to balance health care cost with patient outcomes. These new value pathways are right living (informed lifestyle choice), right care (evidence based care), right provider (care provider appropriately aligned to ensure clinical impact), right value (health care value with cost reduction), and right innovation (research and development innovations aligned with needs from big data gap analysis). To achieve the proposed results in men’s health from big data, health care providers must provide the leadership required to transform health the health care data culture.

The leadership framework for big data is built on the following leadership behaviors: aspire, assess, architect, act, and advance. With aspiring, we need to establish our men’s health performance goals. In assessment, we need to identify gaps in health care practices and systems to achieve the identified performance goals. Architect consists of developing systems, initiatives, or protocols to achieve our men’s health performance goals. Act consists of implementing what was developed in the architect plans. Last, advance focuses on developing continuous quality improvement processes for forward advancement on men’s health outcomes. Health care leaders need to establish a vision for the use of men’s health big data, set diverse goals, communicate internally and externally, and mobilize health care provider assets and talents to ensure a successful men’s health big data implementation program.

So what can you do as a health care provider, assume a key leadership role in the development of men’s health big data. Begin by identifying key data sets that are available in your health care system, then identify what men’s health data based on population based need and characteristics should be included in the men’s health big data set. Begin by linking what is available to what is needed. Then expand beyond your immediate health care system, linking to other health care systems, to expand your sphere of data sets. Eventually, you will be integrated into a larger system of “big data” that drives your men’s health practices.

I hope this editorial stimulates your thinking in relation to “big” men’s health data.