Table 1.
Themes associated with challenges for big data in health care.
| Themes | Examples | Number of articles (n) |
Articles themes appeared in | % of total articles (N=28) |
| Data structure | Fragmented data | 17 | 1, 2, 7-9, 12, 14-19, 22, 25-28 | 61% |
| Incompatible formats | ||||
| Heterogeneous data | ||||
| Raw and unstructured datasets | ||||
| Large volumes | ||||
| High variety and velocity | ||||
| Lack of transparency | ||||
| Security | Privacy | 14 | 2, 4, 7-9, 12, 13, 17, 21, 22, 25-28 | 50% |
| Confidentiality | ||||
| Data duplication | ||||
| Integrity | ||||
| Data standardization | Limited Interoperability | 11 | 4, 5, 7-9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 22, 25 | 39% |
| Data acquisition and cleansing | ||||
| Global sharing | ||||
| Terminology | ||||
| Language barriers | ||||
| Storage and transfers | Expensive to store | 8 | 1, 4, 7, 12, 22, 26, 28 | 28% |
| Transfer from one place to other | ||||
| Store electronic data | ||||
| Securely extract, transmit, and process | ||||
| Managerial issues | Governance issues | 4 | 2, 8, 14, 22 | 14% |
| Ownership issues | ||||
| Lack of skill | Untrained workers | 3 | 5, 9, 14 | 11% |
| Inaccuracies | Inconsistences | 1 | 9 | 4% |
| Lack of precision | ||||
| Data timeliness | ||||
| Regulatory compliance | Legal concerns | 1 | 13 | 4% |
| Real-time analytics | Real-time analytics | 1 | 9 | 4% |