Correlation Analysis And Beyond: Overcoming Implementation Challenges In Big Data Analytics For Medical Institute Libraries In Pakistan

Abstract

Purpose – The primary aim of this study is to discern the challenges confronted by library professionals operating within medical institutions and their associated teaching hospitals in Pakistan during the implementation of Big Data Analytics (BDA). The study aims to conduct correlation analysis to establish the relationship between these challenges and various factors, including legal and ethical, technological challenges, knowledge and skills, as well as organizational challenges.

Design/methodology – A Quantitative Survey design was utilized to gather data for this study. The study participants were library practitioners affiliated with medical institutes and associated teaching hospitals in Pakistan. The questionnaires were disseminated to respondents through various channels,[1] including personal visits, social media platforms, emails, and Google docs. A total of 256 responses were received from library professionals out of the 369 institutions targeted, which were subsequently utilized for analysis. The collected data underwent a process of data screening and filling in missing values before being subjected to correlation analysis using the 26th version of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

Findings – The findings of the study indicated the correlations between 1) Technological, legal and ethical challenges with copyright law, personal data privacy, data security, fair use, software/ hardware inadequacy, storage limitation and data recovery; 2) Knowledge, skills and organizational challenges with data management, data retrieval, data cleaning, learning and utilization, funding, training and policy in medical libraries of Pakistan.

Originality/value – The present research holds substantial importance as it addresses a significant gap in the existing literature concerning the utilization of BDA in these libraries and the accompanying challenges experienced by librarians of these institutes. By focusing on this topic, the study contributes to the existing knowledge and understanding of the subject matter.