The demonstration by nurse Florence Nightingale of the link between poor sanitary conditions and high mortality rates in hospitals, and her pioneering use of data collection and visualisation, still resonates today. In 2018, medicine faces a different set of challenges, with longer life expectancies and population growth increasing the number of patients suffering with chronic conditions requiring ongoing care. This has led to the cost of delivering health care increasing faster than GDP and quickly becoming unsustainable. More than 160 years have passed since Nightingale was a British Army nurse, but addressing these challenges still depends on data. By using it to unlock valuable insights, there is an incredible opportunity to accelerate medical breakthroughs and improve patient care. Over the past decade, much focus has been on digitising records. While this has improved operational performance, it has not really transformed the way services are delivered to patients. Health is d...

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