Big Data Analysis and Machine Learning in Intensive Care Units.

Intensive care is an ideal environment for the use of Big Data Analysis (BDA) and Machine Learning (ML), due to the huge amount of information processed and stored in electronic format in relation to such care. These tools can improve our clinical research capabilities and clinical decision making in the future. The present study reviews the foundations of BDA and ML, and explores possible applications in our field from a clinical viewpoint. We also suggest potential strategies to optimize these new technologies and describe a new kind of hybrid healthcare-data science professional with a linking role between clinicians and data.