The Yuan requests your support! Our content will now be available free of charge for all registered subscribers, consistent with our mission to make AI a human commons accessible to all. We are therefore requesting donations from our readers so we may continue bringing you insightful reportage of this awesome technology that is sweeping the world. Donate now
How Can Big Data, RWD, and RWE Upgrade Healthcare in Africa?
By Oladimeji Ewumi  |  Aug 03, 2021
How Can Big Data, RWD, and RWE Upgrade Healthcare in Africa?
Image courtesy of and under license from Shutterstock.com
Healthcare delivery remains one of the core components of a nation’s health system. An efficient healthcare delivery system is data-driven, and its professionals must access data to diagnose conditions, treat diseases, prescribe medications, and offer consultations. Africa’s lack of data storage infrastructure, inefficient health data management, shortage of trained healthcare professionals, low healthcare budgets, and poor service integration is stopping data realize their full potential in Africa’s expansive health terrain. Use of data and real-world evidence (RWE) in Africa’s healthcare delivery system is an untapped goldmine.

LAGOS, NIGERIA - Healthcare delivery remains one of the core components of a nation’s health system, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and can be a key index for health outcomes.

An efficient healthcare delivery system is data-driven and its professionals need access to data to diagnose medical conditions, treat diseases, prescribe medications, and offer consultations. While Western countries with streamlined electronic health records (EHRs) are leveraging the vast amount of generated data to proffer data-driven health solutions, Africa is miles away from such transformations.2 Lack of data storage infrastructure, inefficient health data management, a shortage of trained healthcare professionals, low healthcare budgets, and poor service integration is stunting data from realizing their full potentials in Africa’s expansive health terrain.

The application of data and real-world evidence (RWE) to Africa’s healthcare delivery system remains an untapped goldmine as much remains to harness from health data. In light of Africa’s burgeoning challenges within its health sector, efficiently generating, analyzing, and utilizing data is the answer to closing equality gaps between different target populations.

“Big Data, real world data (RWD), and RWE can improve healthcare delivery in Africa by helping health workers work more efficiently, see more patients per hour, provide more accurate diagnosis, and higher quality treatment plans,” said Dr. Kate Tulenko, health systems expert and chief executive of Corvus Health. “AI-enabled medical devices and software can accomplish this by analyzing patient data before or as a health worker sees a patient and supporting the decision process.” 


Big Data, RWD, and RWE: Present Impact and Future Potentials

The content herein is subject to copyright by The Yuan. All rights reserved. The content of the services is owned or licensed to The Yuan. Such content from The Yuan may be shared and reprinted but must clearly identify The Yuan as its original source. Content from a third-party copyright holder identified in the copyright notice contained in such third party’s content appearing in The Yuan must likewise be clearly labeled as such.
Continue reading
Sign up now to read this story for free.
- or -
Continue with Linkedin Continue with Google
Comments
Share your thoughts.
The Yuan wants to hear your voice. We welcome your on-topic commentary, critique, and expertise. All comments are moderated for civility.