Article \"Bringing Big Data to Personalized Healthcare\"

¶ … healthcare model that could enable physicians determine their patients' susceptibility to future disease on the bases of their medical records, and most importantly, their similarity to other patients. They acknowledge that despite numerous studies indicating a shift from the traditional disease-based to the more effective patient-centered approach of healthcare delivery, there still exists a knowledge gap, particularly because of the lack of a computational tool that can effectively discover patients' disease patterns without "falling prey to the noise" (Chawla & Davis, 2013, p. 660). The authors put forth the CARE model, which they posit addresses these concerns better than the existing models. They base their development on a number of findings from exiting literature.

The CARE model establishes risk factors by leveraging a patient's symptoms and traits with their interactions and biological disease information. To this end, its operation rides on the findings of a 2009 study by Schadt, which held that phenotypes are produced through molecular interactions, and that hence, molecular and genetic "data can be integrated with phenotypic data to improve disease modeling and understanding" (Chawla & Davis, 2013, p. S661).

The CARE model derives from the collaborative filtering methodology, and guided by the findings of Burton et al. (2007), Loscalzo (2007) and Goldberg et al. (2001), assumes that rather than occurring in isolation, diseases result from the interaction of the various lifestyle, environmental, molecular, and genetic factors. To this end, patients exposed to similar genetic predispositions, environmental factors and lifestyles are likely to face similar challenges.

The collaborative filtering methodology, from which the CARE model derives, rides on the concept of data mining, which according to Synderman et al. (2006), is a fundamental construct of prospective healthcare that physicians can use to make better predictions, and develop more efficient prevention strategies.

What are some of the key points or findings this article presents?

The CARE model is an efficient approach to patient-centered healthcare, not only because it reveals more than fifty percent of the diseases a patient is likely to develop in their lifetime, but also because it serves as a reminder for any conditions that a physician may have overlooked. To this end, CARE can be used to effectively develop wellness strategies, bring to light concerns that had been previously unconsidered, and explore a wider scale of disease history.

What is the significance of the study?

The study shows how effective the CARE model is as an approach to personalized care; how effective it is at managing disease, opening up proactive medicine opportunities, empowering patients, and reducing rates of readmission. Contrary to existing literature, which uses information on patients' health records and demographics to develop specific models for specific health conditions, this study uses patient information to build on a general predictive model.

Describe the methodology used in the study. What characteristics about the article make it either qualitative or quantitative?