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Comparative Study
. 2019 Jul 18;5(2):e001004.
doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2019-001004. eCollection 2019.

Current status of use of big data and artificial intelligence in RMDs: a systematic literature review informing EULAR recommendations

Joanna Kedra  1   2 , Timothy Radstake  3 , Aridaman Pandit  3 , Xenofon Baraliakos  4 , Francis Berenbaum  5 , Axel Finckh  6 , Bruno Fautrel  1   2 , Tanja A Stamm  7 , David Gomez-Cabrero  8 , Christian Pristipino  9 , Remy Choquet  10 , Hervé Servy  11 , Simon Stones  12 , Gerd Burmester  13 , Laure Gossec  1   2
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Current status of use of big data and artificial intelligence in RMDs: a systematic literature review informing EULAR recommendations

Joanna Kedra et al. RMD Open. .

Abstract

Objective: To assess the current use of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs).

Methods: A systematic literature review was performed in PubMed MEDLINE in November 2018, with key words referring to big data, AI and RMDs. All original reports published in English were analysed. A mirror literature review was also performed outside of RMDs on the same number of articles. The number of data analysed, data sources and statistical methods used (traditional statistics, AI or both) were collected. The analysis compared findings within and beyond the field of RMDs.

Results: Of 567 articles relating to RMDs, 55 met the inclusion criteria and were analysed, as well as 55 articles in other medical fields. The mean number of data points was 746 million (range 2000-5 billion) in RMDs, and 9.1 billion (range 100 000-200 billion) outside of RMDs. Data sources were varied: in RMDs, 26 (47%) were clinical, 8 (15%) biological and 16 (29%) radiological. Both traditional and AI methods were used to analyse big data (respectively, 10 (18%) and 45 (82%) in RMDs and 8 (15%) and 47 (85%) out of RMDs). Machine learning represented 97% of AI methods in RMDs and among these methods, the most represented was artificial neural network (20/44 articles in RMDs).

Conclusions: Big data sources and types are varied within the field of RMDs, and methods used to analyse big data were heterogeneous. These findings will inform a European League Against Rheumatism taskforce on big data in RMDs.

Keywords: artificial intelligence; big data; biostatistics; machine learning; rheumatology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: RC is an employee of Orange Healthcare, and HS is an employee of Sanoïa, a Digital CRO providing clinical research services including data science. There are no competing interests for the other authors.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow-chart of the systematic literature review in RMDs.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Evolution of the number of articles on big data in the field of RMDs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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