In this section

Data science and analytics

Why we use and analyse health data

With the rise of digital technologies, there are more data available than ever before. Healthcare is no exception. And not only are there more data, but they are coming from different places. Alongside the more traditional sources such as government, healthcare systems and academia, data are being churned out from medical devices, wearables, mobile apps and websites.

Generating meaningful insights from these increasingly complex data requires linking up and consolidating them, transforming this valuable resource into useful information that can improve healthcare and inform policy, both locally and globally.

Our work in this area aims to enhance patient care through more effective use of health data. We use data science and analytics to make impactful discoveries about both individual people and whole populations.

Highlights from our health data and advanced analytics work

Artificial intelligence

AI is rapidly diffusing across healthcare, bringing dramatic changes in disease diagnostics and management. Through our collaborative research group on applied artificial intelligence in healthcare, we’re exploring the increased use of AI in health and building rigorous standards for evidence reporting.

We’re also working with partners including DeepMind on the design and use of new AI technologies in healthcare, such as research we’re doing with the Cancer Research UK Imperial Centre to find out if AI could improve breast screening. And we’ve launched a new project aiming to enable AI for minority ethnic communities.

Find out more

Networked Data Lab

The Networked Data Lab (NDL) is a collaborative network of teams across the UK which focuses on using linked datasets to provide insights on different topics regarding health and social care. The Institute of Global Health Innovation together with Imperial College Health Partners works together as the Northwest London Lab in the NDL. The data used for this analysis comes from the Discover Now dataset.

In previous phases of this project we have conducted analyses about shielding patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and young people’s mental health, as well as the impact unpaid carers experience as a consequence of their duties.

We have published insights on intermediate care services. See the report 'Are intermediate care services stretched too thin?'.

The NDL is currently working on the topic of elective care waiting lists (due to be published in the spring, 2025). This will be followed by work on the final topic, housing and health.

Value of NHS Data

Our research on value of data includes a report, ‘NHS Data: Maximising its impact for all’, which identifies strategic and technical recommendations to move towards developing a health data policy ecosystem that is designed so that value, either clinical, societal or financial, is more readily extracted from patient data.

This white paper adds to a previous report produced as a part of an ongoing project by the Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI), ‘NHS Data: Maximising its impact on the health and wealth of the UK’, providing a post COVID-19 update on the UK’s health policy data landscape, which highlighted how securely accessed datasets could rapidly translate to practical treatments that have helped millions of people worldwide.