Breast reconstruction: Trends and variation using big data

Data is the economy’s new oil. Harnessing billions of terabytes of healthcare data generated across the world could radically transform healthcare, increase the quality of care and potentially save millions of lives. In order to provide the highest standards in patient care and be aware of the shortcomings, physicians need data. That being said, do all breast cancer patients have the same access to high-quality care? What are the effects of implementation of laws and legislation? Is it possible to combine and compare data between different countries? In this thesis, we used big data to elaborate on the above-mentioned non-clinical key questions related to breast reconstruction in patients diagnosed with breast cancer. The trend over time and disparities in different types of breast reconstructive techniques were evaluated and examined. Moreover, we looked at the effects of implementation of laws and legislation. In the final chapter, a proof of concept study was conducted, comparing data between two different countries. The papers published in this thesis have led to different press-releases by the American Society of Plastic Surgery. As a result of this thesis, a symposium will be organized after the Ph.D. defense, bringing together different stakeholders in the field of big data and healthcare.