By Paulo Magnus*

The past decade has been accompanied by major breakthroughs in the processing of digital data, which has increased at remarkable rates. Technologies able to handle this data volume, variety, veracity and speed are changing the nature of business. We are in the era of artificial and cognitive intelligence, with the cross-checking of numerous pieces information that allow the detection of patterns, predict threats and obtain several applications to the everyday practice.

Gathering solutions that analyze and understand any type of digital information in real time, big data is currently considered the most important strategic tool. Although there are still difficulties in understanding how the mass of data generated on a daily basis can be harnessed, the promises of big data are many. However, its major application possibilities are already observed in the health field.

In addition to reducing costs incurred with Pharmaceutical R&D by more than US$ 70 billion and the amount of time to decode the human genome from 10 years to a week, predictive and preventive medicine are seen as the biggest opportunity of big data in health. With the popularization of mobile health, applications and wearables that help people monitor habits and diseases, it is possible to share private data with doctors not only to assist them on an individual diagnosis, but rather so that health information is no longer treated in isolation.

With technological advances, we reached the Fourth Wave of Health, in which the growing involvement of individuals in the collection of information enhances the issuance of alerts to medical conducts, the formulation of diagnostic hypotheses, the recommendation of best treatment practices, primary prevention and monitoring of the evolution of the patient’s health. Evaluating the treatment guidance, especially Oncology and other chronic conditions, supercomputers already interact (including via voice) directly with doctors.

In this era of wide capture, cross-checking and interpretation of data, medicine acquires greater background knowledge to increase the chances of cure and prevention of diseases, provide diagnoses in advance, promote agility to treatments, develop new drugs and reduce preventable deaths. In addition, it is certain to predict that the use of artificial intelligence in the cross-checking of clinical data of individuals, not necessarily patients, will prevent health problems to the population and consequently increase the expectation and quality of life.

*Paulo Magnus is the CEO of MV.