Nursing and Data: Powering Nursing Leaders for Big Data Science - Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem

Big Data Science

Although big data has been used and is a well-accepted concept in the nursing field, moving beyond big data to data science applications is needed. The concept of big data has been defined by several authors, who have described the several “Vs” comprising its definition. Over the years, more “Vs” have been added to that definition; however, the basic concepts include Volume, Velocity, Variety, Veracity, and Value, with more details found elsewhere⁽⁾. On the other hand, data science has a broader definition, including all the processes around the use of big data. It’s defined as the “field with a broad scope, encompassing approaches for generation, characterization, management, storage, analysis, visualization, integration and use of large, heterogeneous data sets that have relevance to population health”⁽⁾. Best practices for conducting data science research and initiatives has been defined by several institutions, such as the United States National Institute of Health (NIH – ), National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)⁽⁾. Globally, the European Data Initiative (EUDAT – ), the Brazilian GO FAIR Brazil, and Brazil Open Data Portal⁽⁾ have the common goal of making safe use and sharing of data available to everyone. These institutions have laid the foundation for promising directions for workforce development and new partnerships to advance the field of data science and its use.

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