Utilizing big data analytics for real-time patient monitoring and risk prediction

Some of the most important tasks required of healthcare systems is to provide a high level of acute care services and to ensure that the workforce is productive. Sickness and injury in the workforce not only lowers the productivity of individual workers, but also causes further resource and financial losses for businesses. Hence, it is important for enterprises to reduce any adverse effects of illness and injury on workforce productivity through effective health monitoring and promotion interventions. Advances in computing, communication, and sensing technologies enable healthcare systems to tap into the various streams of data available from workplaces and seamlessly monitor the health of occupational settings and of individual employees. The capability for continuous real-time and data-driven monitoring of health is now possible with devices such as smartwatches, smartphone apps, special sensors for heart rate, blood sugar levels, etc. Transfer of the enormous amounts of collected data to processing units allows for the application of big data analytics techniques to derive information, knowledge, and insights from the data.