Editor's Note: This week's blog post is a guest contribution from Ali Melad, who brings us his perspective on the role of big data in U.S. health policy. The introduction of big data in public health is not merely an advancement but more of a transformative force with the potential to
One issue is that the data collection process requires healthcare workers to spend a ton of their time just inputting data, which contributes to burnout, moral injury, and some would say a lower quality of care. We’ve seen a similar thing in education where teachers and admins spend more and more time just inputting data into systems. What’s actually done with it is typically trimming fat, or using the data to argue for some new interventions. While I can appreciate how big data truly could be used to improve the quality of care, education, and whatever else, I don’t think I’ve seen a strong case for it in practice. What might I be missing?
I agree with a lot of that. It appears to me that many esteemed researchers are captured by their personal ambitions on this issue. Rarely do you find researchers advocating for reduced data collection. Invariably, when a commission releases a report on a policy matter, one consistent recommendation is the increase of data collection, purportedly to deepen the understanding of the issue, but in many cases I'm skeptical whether the opportunity costs of have been considered thoroughly, if at all.
One issue is that the data collection process requires healthcare workers to spend a ton of their time just inputting data, which contributes to burnout, moral injury, and some would say a lower quality of care. We’ve seen a similar thing in education where teachers and admins spend more and more time just inputting data into systems. What’s actually done with it is typically trimming fat, or using the data to argue for some new interventions. While I can appreciate how big data truly could be used to improve the quality of care, education, and whatever else, I don’t think I’ve seen a strong case for it in practice. What might I be missing?
I agree with a lot of that. It appears to me that many esteemed researchers are captured by their personal ambitions on this issue. Rarely do you find researchers advocating for reduced data collection. Invariably, when a commission releases a report on a policy matter, one consistent recommendation is the increase of data collection, purportedly to deepen the understanding of the issue, but in many cases I'm skeptical whether the opportunity costs of have been considered thoroughly, if at all.