gms | German Medical Science

Is Big Data an instrument to promote or maintain the health of specific target groups?

Experts have answered this question. The results of the online expert survey are the subject of this talk.

There are great expectations associated with Big Data. The use of large and diverse amounts of data should lead to new insights. The prospects are also considered promising for the health sector. Opportunities and risks of Big Data in the healthcare sector have already been examined. Concrete applications, however, in which Big Data can and should be used in health promotion and prevention, have not yet been researched much. A need for research in this context is, among other things, the target group-specific consideration of Big Data as an instrument for promoting health. The Delphi method was used to bring together the knowledge of experts in this field. For example, scientists, stakeholders from the health sector and developers of Big Data applications participated in the survey. Contents of this presentation are the results of the survey: The understanding of the actors in the field of Big Data in health promotion and prevention, opportunities and risks and concrete future scenarios. The survey focused primarily on various groups that are generally regarded as vulnerable. The presentation is intended to provide an answer to the question of whether and to what extent Big Data has the potential to promote the health of, for example, people in need of care or obese people in the future. Through the target group-oriented perspective of the research work, answers are to be found which go beyond a superficial description of Big Data's potential in the health sector.

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

The authors declare that an ethics committee vote is not required.