A framework for applying data science techniques to health and care actuarial projects

The fast-moving field of data science is increasingly permeating into the health and care actuarial sciences. Given this context, the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries set out to form a “techniques in data science in health and care” working party. This working party was tasked with creating a framework for those actuaries working within the health and care domain that would assist them in determining which techniques are appropriate for a project. The framework presented here was developed through a combination of literature review and synthesis of expert opinion from experienced practitioners from diverse backgrounds. The framework offers a structured, itemised approach, serving as a checklist to ensure that all relevant analytics and decisions are considered and documented. Each itemised topic is covered by a summary providing guidance and relevant references for further reading. The checklist follows the natural workflow of a data analytics project, guiding users through each step to prevent omissions and maintain rigour in both analysis, reporting and peer-review. The framework blends relevant analytics elements from actuarial science, data science and epidemiology. We hope the framework will enhance transparency, reproducibility, and comprehensiveness in the reporting and peer-review of health and care data analytics projects.