Big data opportunity and privacy of patient data

Abstract

The use of massive data in medicine through Big Data is favouring the diagnosis and treatment of diseases (Agarwal, Adhil, and Talukder 2015; He, Ge, He, 2017; Tan, Gao, Koch, 2015). In parallel, this process has begun to be regulated based on new rights of protection of citizens' data, considering the challenging problems of privacy and security of big data (Ristevski, & Chen, 2018). These circumstances modify the role of each of the components of the care relationship that is generated between the doctor and the patient and his family. This situation empowers the patient as a data holder or information protagonist. The analysis of the data can help to change the diagnosis or treatment of the disease and therefore its use is considered necessary in order to change the trajectory and treatment of the diseases. In this direction, a relationship of trust, privacy and security between patients and professionals and / or health centers must be built. This transmission of information must be private and protected from cyber- attacks as well as data theft, etc. Big Data allows to analyze a large volume of varied data, at high speed generating new values based on the data used (Morente, 2019), which is a great advance. This computer tool is capable of performing analysis processes in record time unlike the time spent with other methodologies. This activity must be carried out from the reflection based on a technological ethic that respects the privacy of the person. The hand of the man who intervenes in this process must decide between what is technically possible and what proceeds ethically according to the limits set by the different laws on privacy, security and confidentiality.