Data leads to information.; Information leads to knowledge; Knowledge leads to wisdom.
At least that’s how it should work.
As healthcare moves into the Healthcare 3.0 space, we are going to be seeing an increased use of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and Blockchain.
These technologies are excellent at collecting data. Every beat of your heart, every step you take, every lab that is drawn; its all fair game.
These technologies are also exceptionally good at generating information from these data points. For example, just tabulating the data by time or magnitude provides plenty of information.
Visualizing Information, such as in a graph form, provides knowledge. Trends can be evaluated, and predictions can be made. And, although not at the same level as data gathering, this step is moving along quickly within the Healthcare 3.0 world.
However, the transition from knowledge to wisdom is not smooth, and, in healthcare, it is more like crossing an abyss rather than moving along a path.
You see, as any experienced doctor can tell you, they can present extensive information and knowledge about a disease to a patient, (such as morality statistics with smoking), and even give tools to help implement the change (such as support group information and a prescription for Chantix), but the actual act of taking and sustaining action is an act of wisdom, and, at least at this point, Healthcare 3.0 has little to offer.