International Journal of Science and Technology (IJST)

Harnessing Natural Language Processing in Clinical Practice: A Review of Unstructured Data Utilization in Healthcare

The integration of Natural Language Processing (NLP) into clinical practice is fundamentally transforming how unstructured data is utilized within healthcare systems. This paper offers a comprehensive review of the techniques and applications of NLP in extracting meaningful insights from unstructured clinical data such as physician notes, discharge summaries, and patient-reported outcomes. By converting complex free-text data into structured formats, NLP enhances clinical decision-making processes, improves patient outcomes, and streamlines healthcare operations. The discussion covers diverse NLP applications including information extraction, predictive analytics, and patient engagement tools. Furthermore, the paper addresses the technical, ethical, and operational challenges inherent in deploying NLP in healthcare environments. Through an evaluation of methodologies and illustrative case studies, this review highlights NLP’s critical role in advancing personalized medicine and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare delivery.