NAVIGATING ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN HEALTHCARE DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Abstract

Healthcare data management systems have evolved significantly over the past century, with their value,
velocity, and volume increasing and becoming more digitized. This evolution encompasses everything
from Electronic Health Records (EHR) to Electronic Medical Records (EMR) obtained from doctor visits
to handwritten medical notes scanned into digital repositories. Collecting data from diverse healthcare
sources, along with storage, protection, and analysis to ensure accuracy, accessibility, consistency, and
timeliness in healthcare, is essential for improving patient care and operational efficiency while
maintaining security and data privacy. In this context, technological advancement and big data
management awareness have led to breakthroughs in the medical field from paper to computer, the
Internet of Things (IoT), data analysis, etc. This article aims to contribute to the efforts at understanding
the management systems of healthcare data. It adopts the analytical approach of doctrinal research
methodology and commences with the contextualization of the importance of big data in healthcare and
its collection approach. It further considers the mechanisms for advancing the reliability of healthcare
records while amplifying the integration of cutting-edge technologies as the future direction of healthcare
data gathering. The challenges involved in healthcare data gathering were equally considered, with
privacy and security, data discrimination, and job displacement being highlighted as potential risks. The
article further analyzes the ethical concerns in healthcare data gathering. It concludes with a summary
of findings and recommendations, including the establishment of precise policies and measures for secure
and conscientious patients’ data management, stakeholders’ collaboration, continuous education on
cyber security, etc.