Pick a specific example / policy related to the application of big data in healthcare. These may be chosen from the following:
COVID-19-related surveillance or data collection policies
National vaccination policies
M-Health
Wearable devices
AI for disease diagnostics
AI for mental health
National research programs databases
Electronic health records databases
Please address the following issues:
1. Briefly describe the selected example / policy
2. Explain the challenges raised in this case (e.g., privacy, security, interoperability, data governance (access, ownership, usage, consent), representativeness, biases and discrimination, more?)
3. Suggest the data governance regime that should be applied in this case.
4. Explain how the different challenges should be addressed.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Application of Big Data in Healthcare: Electronic Health Records Databases
1. Description of the Policy
Electronic Health Records (EHR) databases refer to digital repositories that store patients’ health information, medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, immunization dates, allergies, radiology images, and laboratory test results. The utilization of EHR databases has revolutionized healthcare by enabling secure and centralized access to comprehensive patient data, facilitating better care coordination, clinical decision-making, and patient outcomes.
2. Challenges Raised
– Privacy and Security: EHR databases contain sensitive personal health information that must be safeguarded against unauthorized access or breaches.
– Interoperability: Ensuring seamless communication and data exchange between different EHR systems to enable comprehensive patient care.
– Data Governance: Addressing issues related to data access, ownership, usage, consent, and ensuring compliance with regulations like HIPAA.
– Representativeness: Ensuring that EHR data accurately represent diverse patient populations to avoid disparities in healthcare delivery.
– Biases and Discrimination: Mitigating biases in data collection, analysis, and decision-making processes to prevent discriminatory outcomes.
3. Data Governance Regime
To address the challenges associated with EHR databases, a robust data governance regime should be implemented. This regime should include:
– Clear Policies and Procedures: Establishing clear guidelines on data access, sharing, consent management, and security protocols.
– Data Ownership Framework: Defining ownership rights and responsibilities regarding EHR data to ensure transparency and accountability.
– Comprehensive Consent Mechanisms: Implementing informed consent processes that empower patients to control how their health data is used.
– Regular Auditing and Monitoring: Conducting regular audits to track data access and usage, identify potential risks, and ensure compliance with regulations.
4. Addressing the Challenges
– Privacy and Security: Implement encryption, multi-factor authentication, regular security audits, and staff training on data security best practices.
– Interoperability: Adopt standardized data formats, protocols (such as FHIR), and APIs to facilitate seamless data exchange between EHR systems.
– Data Governance: Develop data governance committees to oversee data management policies, ensure compliance with regulations, and address ethical considerations.
– Representativeness: Implement strategies to improve data quality and diversity representation within EHR databases, such as culturally sensitive data collection methods.
– Biases and Discrimination: Utilize AI algorithms to detect and mitigate biases in data analysis, decision-making processes, and ensure fairness in healthcare delivery.
By implementing a robust data governance regime tailored to address the specific challenges associated with EHR databases, healthcare organizations can leverage big data effectively while ensuring the protection of patient privacy, promoting data interoperability, mitigating biases, and enhancing overall healthcare outcomes.
